Finding Her Place
by bun
Summary: A.U. Piper is alone. That is, Piper was alone until she met her birth family, her biological sisters.
1. Chapter 1

A/N. Okay, this story is an A.U, with a lot of differences. These should be explained in the story, but if you're confused, review and I'll try to answer your questions (please review anyway!) Hope you enjoy. 

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Finding Her Place 

Chapter 1 

Piper Jones pulled the coffee stained, moth bitten bed covers up to her chin, desperately fighting the urge to hide under them as another sob escaped her parched lips. A dull pain throbbed in the seventeen-year-olds chest, and tears slid down her ashen face. Her whole body ached, possibly from the latest demon attack, maybe from the hours she had spent in the same position, but most likely from the greatest loss a young woman could face.

In the past when Piper was this distraught, her mother would have held her close, while her father told funny stories or jokes, just to make her smile. It had always worked. But her parents were no longer here. Her parents were dead.

Piper longed for her mother's healing arms, her father's cheering voice. But she knew she would never feel or hear those things again, and that terrified her. The only thing keeping her going was the tiny life growing inside her. Her baby.

God, her parents had been fuming when they found out. They couldn't believe their little girl, their only child, was going to have a child of her own at such a young age. Piper had convinced them she would love the baby no matter what they said. Sarah and Nathan soon calmed down and realised they too would love the baby with all their hearts, even though it wouldn't be their biological grandchild. The fact that Piper was adopted never made any difference to them, so why would things be different with her baby?

That was the last thing Sarah and Nathan ever told their daughter, because then the demon attacked. The two witched had known this day would come. They knew that once the dark side realised who Piper was, they would come looking for her, attempting to eliminate the threat.

The evil creature had gone for Piper first, firing an electric blue ball of energy at her and knocking her into a wall. Of course, Piper had known of her powers all her life, but she had never battled a demon. Her parents had always forbidden it, which made no sense to Piper, as she was much more powerful than both her parents put together.

When the pregnant witch woke from being knocked unconscious, her first thoughts were for her baby. But some deep-rooted maternal instincts had told her the baby was fine. And then Piper noticed her parents…

Bile rose in Piper's throat as the image of her parents' bloodied and broken bodies crashed into her mind. She forced herself from the less-than-satisfactory motel bed and dashed for the bathroom, ignoring her cramped and stiff limbs. Piper dropped onto the floor and emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet. At two months along, Piper still had a lot more morning sickness to endure.

'_How can someone be sick if they haven't eaten for two days?' _Piper wondered as she leant back against the peeling wallpaper.

Piper didn't know how long she stayed like that, curled up against the paper-thin wall, too exhausted to change position. The teenage witch let her mind drift to happier thoughts of the future with her baby. Somehow, as tired minds often do, hers made a jump from her baby to her birth family. Maybe she had brothers and sisters. Maybe she had nieces or nephews?

Ever since discovering she was adopted, Piper had wanted to meet her birth family. Not because she didn't love her adoptive parents, but because Piper had always felt different from them. Like she had an important destiny with her biological family. But of course, that was stupid

Little did Piper know that both her wish and her fantasy were about to be realised sooner than she thought…

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A/N. I know that was short and probably a bit boring, but it was just an introductory chapter, explaining stuff. Basically Piper was adopted, not Paige (you'll find out why later in the story) and Piper's always known she was a witch. And Piper's pregnant!

Please review and let me know if it's worth carrying on.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not owned Charmed, only Sarah and Nathan Jones, and Piper's baby.

A/N. Thank you so much for the reviews, I honestly never expected to get such a good response. Okay I got some questions and here are the answers;

You'll find out about Prue and Phoebe in this chapter. Paige was never born is this story, as it would be too confusing for her to be a witch-whitelighter and allowed to stay with her sisters. Piper's real identity is known to the Elders, her adoptive parents and their whitelighter but the Elders agreed to have Piper adopted because they, as well as Patty, thought the three sisters were too young to handle the Power Of Three. Patty did not want her daughters' powers bound, so instead she gave one up for adoption. (This seems a bit silly to me, but if she had bound their powers there would be no story). Also, the Elders kept the fact that the Charmed Ones were around a secret from the magical community, even other whitelighters, because they believed the sisters would be in danger if everyone knew.

On the subject of powers, all three sisters have individual powers, but they are not yet the Charmed Ones. To receive the Power Of Three they need to come together.

I hope that cleared things up for you.

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Chapter 2 

Prudence Halliwell flung out a slender arm, sending the demon flying into the conservatory of Halliwell Manor with her telekinetic powers. "Now!" Prue, as she was called by practically everyone she knew, ordered.

Her younger sister, Phoebe, came running out from behind a sofa, an athame clutched in her hand. She raced over to the fallen demon, squatted over him and the thrust the double-edged ceremonial knife into his chest. The burst of flames that signalled the demon's death knocked her onto the floor, hard.

"Oh! Are you okay?" Prue cried, scurrying over to Phoebe and pulling her up.

"Absolutely!" Phoebe's mocha brown eyes sparkled. "Man, I love vanquishing demons."

"Good, then you should enjoy the next few weeks."

The two sisters spun around at the sound of their grandmother's voice coming from the doorway.

"Grams, you scared me!" Prue exclaimed, a hand over her heart.

"Sorry darling." Penny walked into the room and kissed her eldest granddaughter's cheek.

"So how did we do?" Phoebe asked, wanting her Grams' approval. Unfortunately, she hadn't been getting that very often, as she was getting quite a rebellious streak.

"Not bad. But not good."

Prue frowned. "What do you mean?" She too valued her grandmother's opinion very highly.

"Well, you vanquished the demon, but you could have got hurt, you were so close," Penny elaborated.

"So how do we improve?" Phoebe wanted to know.

"With more training."

"What?" Prue wailed. "I've already blown Andy off twice this week."

"God knows what you see in that wanna be cop anyway," Phoebe muttered. Secretly, she liked Prue's boyfriend, Andrew Trudeau, but she'd rather die than admit that to anyone.

"I love Andy," Prue responded, her ice blue eyes blazing. "What I want to know is what Cole sees in you."

Phoebe took a step towards Prue, looking as is she was about to slap her. If Penny hadn't stepped in between she probably would have done. "Girls, can we please go one day without fighting?"

"Fine, but she started it," Phoebe said darkly.

"I did not!" Prue protested.

"Girls!" Penny braked. "Enough. Now apologise."

Phoebe shot a murderous glare at Prue. "Sorry."

Prue folded her arms across her chest. "I'm not saying sorry."

"Prue," Penny said in a warning tone. "Fine. I'm sorry."

"Whatever." Phoebe mumbled, flouncing from the room.

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Piper yanked the brush through her long, chocolate brown hair. Her once silky locks were so tangled that the brush could barely go five centimetres without facing an obstacle. Still, that was what you got if you didn't brush your hair for days.

Not that Piper really cared about her appearance anymore. She just needed a distraction, something to do. Plus the slow, rhythmic movements of pulling the brush through her hair calmed Piper down. It reminded her of how her mother used to comb her hair before bed when Piper was a little girl.

Piper stared at her reflection in the broken, smeared mirror. Her mirror at home had always been spotless, but Piper couldn't go back there. Too many painful memories of her parents' death and the happy times the little family had shared. They had been so close…

But Piper couldn't avoid the family home forever. She needed to collect her things and find somewhere permanent to live. She had no idea how to go about finding or selling a house. Maybe her aunt and uncle could help.

Piper placed her brush on the dressing table and climbed into bed. It was early, around seven or eight, but Piper was exhausted.

'_Tomorrow,'_ Piper decided. _'Tomorrow I'll find somewhere to live.' _

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Phoebe flopped onto the sofa with a loud sigh. She was so bored. Not only was she not allowed to see Cole, her boyfriend, but also Prue was out, so she didn't even have anyone to fight with. She leant forward and picked up a newspaper, having nothing better to do, and her mind was filled with psychic images.

**- - Patricia Halliwell clung to a tiny new-born baby, tears pouring down her face. The arm of her husband was wrapped supportively around her, and tears glistened in Victor Bennett's eyes. The two were obviously in great pain. Their tiny baby seemed to sense this pain, as she was wailing also. **

**Opposite the distraught couple stood a plump woman with curl red hair and a tall slim man; Sarah and Nathan Jones. The two looked on nervously, fearing Patty and Victor would change their minds. **

"**Promise me that, that you won't stop her from finding us when she's older," Patty sniffed. **

"**If that's what she wants, then we'll let her meet you," Sarah promised. **

**Patty nodded her thanks and looked down at the tiny baby, wrapped in a soft pink blanket with the letter P stitched into it. "Good bye my princess, remember that mommy loves you, and she always will. Remember that she'll never forget you, baby, never." Patty kissed her daughter's forehead and passed the baby to Sarah, her heart breaking. She fell into Victor's arms and buried her face in his chest. - - - **

Phoebe gasped a solitary, single tear slid down her face as the newspaper slid from her grasp. Her mother and father… a baby girl… giving her away. Phoebe was sure the baby wasn't her or Prue. Then who? Had her parents had another baby? One they'd given away? Or was the premonition wrong? Phoebe didn't think so, her visions had never been wrong before. Recently, her power of empathy had advanced to a stage where it now became incorporated into her visions, so she did not only see and hear what was going on, but she felt emotions too. She had felt her parents' pain. It had been so real, so consuming. But there was something breaking through that pain, joy, possibly from the man and woman Phoebe didn't recognise. The baby in the vision was definitely being given away. But who was she?

It was all too much for Phoebe to handle. She jumped from the sofa and marched into the foyer, colliding with Prue in her haste. Phoebe didn't stop to say sorry, she just hurried on.

"Hey!" Prue called, dumping her coat and handbag. "Where're you going?"

"To talk to Grams."

"Why?" Prue followed after Phoebe.

"Nosy much?" Phoebe snapped, reaching the kitchen.

"When you almost mow me down and don't stop to apologise, yeah, I am," Prue shot back.

"Grams, I need to speak with you."

Penny looked up from the pot she was bent over. "About what, sweetheart?"

"I had a vision." 

"Of what?" Prue demanded.

Penny could tell from her youngest granddaughter's troubled face that the vision must have been worrying. "Show me."

"Okay, if you're sure." (A/N. Because the sisters have had their powers since birth, Phoebe's visions have advanced, so she can now share them.) She grasped Penny's hands closed her eyes, concentrating on the premonition and sending it to her grandmother.

A few seconds later the elderly witch's eyes popped open. The other couple had been so familiar to her. They were Sarah and Nathan Jones, the couple who had adopted her middle granddaughter. If Phoebe was having vision of her older sister, it must mean it was time for Piper to come home. It was finally time for the sisters to meet. "What gave you the premonition?"

"Uh, a newspaper."

Penny darted through into the living room and, noticing the fallen paper, picked it up. Immediately the reason Phoebe had got the premonition from touching the newspaper became clear to Penny. In the obituary section was a piece about the tragic death of Nathan and Sarah Jones.

'_Oh that poor girl. She's all alone,'_ Penny though, slumping onto the sofa. She turned to Prue and Phoebe, her eyes full of sadness, fear, and a hint of excitement. "Girls, I've got something to tell you."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N. Thank you for the reviews.

Just one thing, the Elders did realise Sarah and Nathan were dead, and they were the ones to send Phoebe the premonition, to ensure the sisters found Piper.

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Chapter 3 

"Grams what is it?" Prue asked, her brow creased in concern. She sat next to Penny and took her withered hand.

"You… I…" How could Penny tell them? They were likely to be devastated that they had been kept from the truth and who could blame them? Or they might be so angry they rejected Piper. And then what would happen to the Power Of Three? No, they were still too young, Phoebe was only sixteen for God's sake, she shouldn't have to fight demons on an almost daily basis. The troubled witch looked up as bright lights filled the room.

When they had dispersed, Patricia Halliwell stood in the centre of the room, smiling and wearing a long white dress.

"Mom!" Phoebe cried, flying into her mother's arms, oblivious to the pain hidden behind her mother's smile.

"Hello sweetie. How are you?"

"Great! I've got so much to tell you!"

"We'll talk later okay honey, right now I've got something to tell you."

"Sure." Phoebe nodded and stepped back to let Prue get a hug.

"Hey Mom."

"Hello darling." Patty tucked a strand of Prue's raven hair behind her ear in a motherly fashion, despite the fact that Prue was twenty and felt she was too old for such things. "How're things with Andy?"

Prue's eyes lit up at the mention of her boyfriend. "Better than ever."

"I'm glad. He's a lovely boy." Patty turned to her own mother and her smile vanished. She knew how hard it had been for Penny to keep Piper a secret all these years. It had been much easier for Patty, as she had died before Prue and Phoebe were really old enough to understand.

"I take it you're here to tell them," Penny said.

Patty nodded and tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat.

"Tell us what?" Prue asked, glancing suspiciously between her mother and grandmother.

"It's about the vision I had, isn't it?" Phoebe's word came out as more of a statement than question.

"Yes. Yes it is." Patty looked at her mother, but she offered no help. It was up to Patty. "Girls, this is going to be, um, difficult to comprehend, but you have another sister."

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"So, what do you think?" The landlady of the apartment gestured around the living room as she turned to face Piper.

Piper considered the question, wanting to make sure she had found the right place. The apartment was two bed-roomed; perfect for when her baby was old enough to have its own room. Also, the apartment was on the ground floor, which meant no struggling up the stairs with a pram. "I'll take it," she announced, handing the landlady a wad of rolled up cash. "Here's the next month's rent in advance."

"Thank you miss Halliwell. If there are any problems please contact me."

Piper nodded silently as the owner of her new home strolled out, not trusting herself to speak. The young witch crumpled to the floor, a sob escaping her lips. She shouldn't be leaving home at only seventeen. She should be living at home and complaining about how much she wanted to leave. But what choice did she have? Her parents were no longer around, and Piper couldn't afford to stay at her old house. Besides, it wasn't healthy to stay there. She needed to move on, to concentrate on her baby.

Piper's stomach heaved and she darted for the bathroom to be sick. As she bent over the basin, Piper wondered one thing.

Why was moving on so hard?

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"What?" Prue cried. "If this is some kind of joke I…"

"It's not," Phoebe interrupted quietly.

"Excuse me?" Prue demanded, spinning to face her younger sister.

"It's not a joke," Phoebe repeated, her eyes swimming with tears. "I saw… I saw her being adopted."

Prue's incredulous eyes flicked to her mother. "Is that true?"

Patty nodded sadly, hating the pain she had caused her daughters, all three of them. "I'm so sorry…"

"Why?" Prue cut her off. "Why'd you do it?"

Patty sighed wearily and sunk into the opposite sofa. She knew this day would come. And yet she was totally unprepared for it. "I…" Patty began. "We, your father and I, had her adopted to keep her safe. To keep you all safe."

"From what?" Prue demanded.

Phoebe flinched at her sister's tone. "Prue, don't be so hard on Mom." The empathetic witch had felt her mother's great pain, could feel it now, still as strong as all those years ago and she didn't wish for that pain to become greater. Her mother was suffering enough.

"No, Phoebe," Prue snapped. "I want answers."

"Prue, calm down," Phoebe warned. Prue must have been furious if Phoebe could feel her anger, as members of the household had taken an empathy-blocking potion and only intense emotions could get through it, and Phoebe was concerned her usually rational sister might do something un-rational.

"I am calm." A vase flew from its place and smashed into a wall, causing the four women to jump and contradicting Prue's words.

"I think that vase would disagree," Phoebe said.

"It's okay Phoebe," Patty said. "Prue has every right to be angry."

"But…"

"Sweetie, let your mother finish," Penny interjected gently.

Patty smiled gratefully at her mother and carried on the explanation. " We wanted to keep you safe from demons."

"But we fight demons every week." Now it was Phoebe's turn to be confused.

Patty rubbed her temples, trying to find a simple way of telling her daughters about their destiny. "Prue do you remember the stories I told you when you were younger, about three witches?"

"Yeah, the Charmed Ones. But I don't understand how that's connected to our long lost sister.

"Well, the stories were real. Actually, not the stories, but the Charmed Ones really exist."

"Oh God," Phoebe gasped, her face paling. "And we're them. Prue, me and this other sister are the Charmed Ones."

"That's right."

"So let me get this straight." Prue said, her anger being replaced by bewilderment. "We're supposed to become the world's most powerful witches with a girl we don't know."

"She's not just a girl. She's your sister," Penny reminded them.

"Who we've never met before."

"Why didn't you raise us together?" Phoebe asked. "I mean, we have our powers, we're still witches."

"Because your father and I believed you were too young to cope with the Power Of Three."

"Then why didn't you just bind our powers? At least then we'd all be together," Prue pointed out.

"The Elders didn't want us to. They thought it better for you to be skilled in your powers when you became the Charmed Ones," Patty replied.

"I should've known they'd have something to do with it," Phoebe muttered, earning her a glare from Penny.

"So you went along with it?" Prue's tone was harsh and accusatory once more.

"I did what I thought was best for all three of you. So did your father."

"Mom this is a hell of a lot to take in," Phoebe said, as a way of explaining Prue's behaviour.

"I know it is sweetie. But you have to get used to it. Cry about it, get angry over it, but don't fight it. Your destiny awaits you." With those final words Patty dissolved in white lights, the words "Blessed Be," ringing in the air. As she left, she took once last glance at her daughters. Prue's face was angry, but Phoebe looked excited. Patty just hoped they could cope with the following few days.

"I cannot believe this. It's crazy! She just waltzes in here and expects us to be okay with this. Well I'm not!" Prue shouted, storming from the room. As she left, all the windows rattled and doors banged back on their hinges.

Phoebe turned to her grandmother, worried for Prue, but at the same time thrilled to learn of another sister. This surprised her. She had always thought she was happy with it being just her, Prue and Grams, but lately the two sisters had been fighting more often, and Grams was getting too ill to deal with them. Maybe another sister would help calm things between them. "What do we do now?" Phoebe asked.

Penny sighed and continued to stare after her eldest granddaughter. "Now we find your sister."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N. Thank you for the reviews, and sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I was on holiday. Enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter 4 

Piper gripped the rolling pin and pressed down hard, taking out all her hurt and fears on the dough beneath the wooden cooking appliance. Piper had always loved cooking, which was strange as both her parents found it a chore. Piper enjoyed it so much she was planning on studying cookery at college and becoming a chef. Not that that was going to happen anytime soon, seeing as how her baby would need full time care; but there was always when it was older.

She had never wondered where her cooking love or skills came from, but now she thought about it, she must have inherited them from her birth family.

Speaking of her birth family, Piper should really start looking for them. But not yet. She couldn't stand more questions, more sympathy. Piper had heard more 'how are you?'s in the past two weeks than she had in her whole life. She knew people meant well, but there was only so much she could take.

"Turn around, witch."

Piper's blood ran cold. Her breathing grew shallow and an overwhelming sense to run kicked in. The pregnant witch would know that voice anywhere. It haunted all her dreams and all her waking moments.

"I said turn around."

Piper did as the voice instructed, staring straight into the cold grey eyes of the demon that had killed her parents.

--- _A ripple in the air caused the family of three's conversation to cease, and they all jumped to their feet, preparing for the assault that was to come. _

_Sure enough, a demon appeared from the shadows, conjuring a crackling blue energy ball and grinning sinisterly. Something in his cold grey eyes told the witches that this encounter would end in disaster. _

_Sarah and Nathan stepped in front of their teenage daughter; there was no way they would let her or their grandchild get harmed. _

"_You think that will stop me from getting to the girl?" He demon snarled his voice gravely, as if he'd gargled with glass. He thrust out a hand and sent the parents spiralling to different ends of the room, leaving Piper exposed. The demon's grin widened, and he launched a crackling blue energy ball towards the pregnant witch. _

_The energy ball sailed towards Piper, put she couldn't move. Her brain was telling her to duck or dodge, but her body wouldn't listen. She had faced demons before, on rare occasions, but not while she had another life growing in side her. She was scared to death of what the demon could do to her unborn child, so why couldn't she move? It was like she was paralysed in body, but capable in mind. _

_The energy ball struck her square in the chest, and she flew backwards, hitting the wall with a sickening thud. The last thing Piper heard was her mother screaming "No!" before everything went black. _

_Sarah and Nathan charged for the demon, meeting in the middle before him. With a simple wave of the hand, two energy balls zoomed towards them, and the Jones family knew no more. ---_

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"Prue, please come out," Phoebe pleaded to her older sister's bedroom door.

"No."

"Prudence, get out here this instant," Penny ordered sternly.

"No."

Phoebe sighed and rolled her eyes. "Now what do we do?" She hissed.

"This." Penny pointed two fingers at the door and turned her wrist sharply, imitating the motion of turning a key in a lock. A click followed and Prue's door swung open.

"How dare you!" Prue screeched, jumping of her bed as Phoebe and Penny marched in. "You have no…"

"We have to talk," Phoebe interrupted, not really caring about violating rights.

"You can't stay locked in your room forever," Penny pointed out.

"Watch me." Prue raised a hand, preparing to send her grandmother and sister out of her room.

"No powers!" Phoebe cried. "Personal gain."

"Since when did you care about personal gain?" Prue asked, lowering her arm.

"Since it got you to not use your powers."

Despite herself Prue laughed. That was the amazing thing about sisters; you could hate each other one minute, and be best friends the next. _'I wonder if us and our other sister will be this close?' _Prue thought, surprising herself by wanting to get to know her. She tried to tell herself that this other girl, whose name she didn't know, didn't matter, that she would only arrange to meet for the sake of the Charmed Ones. But the truth was, the more she thought about it, Prue did care, and found she wanted to know her younger, long-lost sister.

"I'm sure we will be one day," Phoebe said suddenly, coming up to Prue and putting an arm around her. "It'll just take a while to get to know her."

"How did you know I was thinking about her?"

"Coz I was thinking exactly the same thing."

"Oh," Prue said, not knowing what else to say. "What's her name? Our sister, I mean?"

"I think her adoptive parents called her Piper," Penny replied.

"Hah. Another P," Phoebe said.

"And how old is she?" Prue asked.

"Three years younger than you. Seventeen."

"Damn," Phoebe muttered.

Prue and Penny both stared at her curiously.

"What? I've always wanted a younger sister."

Prue smirked. "Well unfortunately, you've got another older one. And I know just how to find her."

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As she struggled to breathe, Piper wanted to run. She wanted to run and protect her baby. But, yet again, she couldn't move. It was as if her first power had turned against her and frozen her. Panic had completely taken over. She couldn't get enough oxygen to her lungs. She was going to die. Her baby was going to die.

"Aww, you're not scared of me, are you?" The demon known as Krill mocked. "That's too bad." He conjured an electric blue energy ball and launched it at his target.

Piper screamed and ducked, the energy ball zooming over her head. Okay, she had movement. Movement was good.

"Tut tut. Not what I expected from a Charmed One." Krill formed another energy ball and bounced it up and down in his palm.

Charmed One? What was he talking about? Piper didn't have time to dwell on the question as the energy ball sailed closer. She outstretched a hand, preparing to blow it up. But instead of the object of her power exploding, as it was supposed to, a violet bolt of electricity shot from her palm and collided with the ball of energy, exploding it.

Piper stared at her hands, wondering how on Earth she had created electricity. And then the answer came to her. The baby. The baby had the power of electrokinesis, which it could activate, from the womb. Piper looked up at Krill. He too was gaping at Piper in shock.

"I bet that was something else you weren't expecting, huh?" Piper asked, now full of new-found strength and courage. But there was something else. Now the fear for her baby, who was apparently pretty powerful, was gone, Piper felt enraged. Furious. And vengeful. How dare he come into her home and threaten her and her baby, after all he had taken from her? She was going to make him pay. And the best way to do that would be to vanquish him as slowly as possible, but before she did that, she was going to get answers. Piper flicked her wrists and Krill froze from the neck down.

"What did you do to me?" Krill demanded, struggling to break free.

"I froze you," Piper answered simply. "Now why have you attacked me twice? And what's a Charmed One?"

"You think I'm going to tell you?"

Piper shrugged. "It's your choice." She spread out her fingers and Krill's arm shattered, causing him to howl in pain. "But I suggest you do. Or that might happen again."

"I'll never tell you anything."

"Suit yourself." Piper curled a finger and Krill's other arm blew up. "Now we can keep going all night coz God knows I've got nothing better to do."

"Okay! Okay!" Krill cried, wincing. "A Charmed One is one third of the Charmed Ones; the most powerful witches in the world."

"And what has that got to do with me?"

"You're a Charmed One."

"You're lying." Piper couldn't have sisters, could she?

Krill shook his head vigorously. "No, I'm not. You have sisters. And I intend to stop you from joining them." With a roar and a lunge, Krill was finally free of the freeze spell.

Instinctively, Piper threw up her hands and Krill exploded in a burst of flames.

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"How?" Phoebe asked in response to Prue's revelation.

"Andy," Prue replied simply.

"Sweetie, I know you love him but this is hardly the time," Penny said.

"No! Well, I do love him. But he's a police officer, so he should have details about Piper." (A/N. I don't know how old you have to be to become a police officer, but in this story it's 20)

"But I don't think he's allowed to give out that kind of information," Phoebe said.

"He'll give it to me," Prue said with more confidence than she felt. "Now you two scat while I ring him."

Penny and Phoebe left the room while Prue grabbed the phone.

"Hello? Andrew Trudeau," Andy answered.

"Andy, hi. It's me."

"Hello me. Mind if I know your name?" Andy asked teasingly.

"Ha ha. Very funny."

"I thought so too," Andy joked.

"Honey, I need a pretty big favour."

"Name it."

"Could you please give me the phone number and address of Piper Jones? Daughter of Sarah and Nathan Jones, the couple who were killed a few weeks ago?"

"I'm sorry Prue, but I can't," Andy told her apologetically.

"Please," Prue begged. "It's really important."

"Yeah, and so is my job."

"I know, and I wouldn't ask unless I was desperate."

"Fine." Andy's voice lowered to a whisper as he gave Prue what she wanted to know.

"I've got it!" Prue announced triumphantly, emerging from her bedroom with a slip of paper.

"Great!" Phoebe cried happily. Then her face fell. "Who will ring it?"

"I will," Prue offered automatically.

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Piper sat in the dark; huddled into a corner with a dozen un-packed boxes surrounding her. In the bottom of one of these boxes was her switched off mobile phone.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she tried to process what Krill had told her. She had sisters. Piper couldn't quite believe it. She wondered if they knew about the Charmed Ones, wondered if they knew they were witches. She wondered if she looked like them. She wondered if they were older, younger. She wanted to know about her real parents. She wondered if she had her father's eyes or her mother's nose. She wanted to know so many things.

But she felt so guilty. She felt like she was betraying her parents by wanting to know her real family. They had only just died, and here she was, thinking about her birth family as if her parents meant nothing to her. But that was far from the truth.

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Prue's hand shook so much she could barely hold the phone as she dialled her little sister's phone number.

'_Why did I offer?'_ She asked her self. _'What if she hangs up? Or laughs in my face?' _Prue glanced back at Phoebe and Penny, who both gave her encouraging smiles and thumbs up. _'I can't do this!' _

But it was too late. The voice mail had already picked up with "Hi this is Piper. If you leave a message I'll get back to you" in a cheery voice.

"Err. Hi Piper, this is Prue. This is going to sound, um, strange, but I'm your sister. If you could ring me back on 01867 458474, I'd really appreciate it."

Prue ended the call and turned around. "So how did I sound?"

"Nervous," Penny replied honestly.

"Great! So I sounded like an idiot, and now she'll never ring me back."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N. Thanks for the reviews. Please keep them coming.

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Chapter 5 

Piper shoved the box aside with a growl of frustration. That had been the tenth one she had searched, and she still couldn't find her phone. Why, oh, why had she taken all of this stuff from her old house? Most of it wasn't even useful, like a few items of her parents' clothing. But she had wanted something of theirs to remember them by.

Tears clouded Piper's vision and her hands trembled as she peeled back the sticky tape that held the lid of the box together. She blinked back the tears, refusing to cry. She had cried so much in the past two weeks, she couldn't believe she had any tears left.

Yes! There was her mobile phone, lying right at the bottom, switched off with probably a million voice mail messages asking if she was all right. She reached down, brought the phone up, and turned it on.

Sure enough, there was five messages waiting for her. Okay, maybe not a million, but still more than Piper wanted to listen and respond to. Even so, she flicked through the numbers. There was one from her Aunt July, two from her best friend and one from some journalist who most likely wanted a story about how she was dealing with the tragic event. But the last number Piper didn't recognise, so she decided to listen.

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Prue paced the length of the living room, running her hands through her hair. "I told you she wouldn't ring back."

"Sweetheart, it's been half an hour," Penny said reasonably from her position on the couch. "And she's just lost her parents, I don't think she's going to want to talk much."

"Maybe I should ring again?"

"Or maybe you should take your mind off things like Phoebe has. Go visit Andy," Penny suggested.

"But what if she rings while I'm out?"

"Then I'll be here to answer it," Penny replied. "Anyway, I thought you didn't want to meet her."

"I do want to meet her," Prue admitted, flopping onto the sofa. "It's Mom and Dad I'm angry with, not her." Prue sighed wearily. "I mean, it wasn't her fault we were kept in the dark, right?"

Before Penny had a chance to answer, the phone rang and Prue snatched it up.

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"Hello?"

Oh God. It was her, Prue. What the hell could Piper say? 'Hi, I'm your long lost sister'?

"Hello?" Prue repeated.

"Um, hi."

"Hello, who is this please?"

'_Oh God, she doesn't know who I am. Wait. Why would she?' _ "It's, um, Piper Jones. You called…"

Piper was cut off by Prue whispering; "It's her! It's Piper!" And then by saying to Piper; "Hi."

'Well at least she sounds as nervous as I feel,' Piper thought, while racking her brains for something to say. "So you mentioned something about being, um, sisters?" Was it just coincidence Piper had got a message from her sister just an hour after learning about her? Or was it fate? 

"Yes! Yes I did. I have reason to believe, well, I know, that you're my… sister."

"Oh." _'Dammit Piper, you've just been told by a stranger that she knows you're her sister and that's all you can say?' _

"Yeah. So I was wondering if maybe we could meet up to talk. And would it be okay if our other sister and Grams come too?"

Meet up? Piper wasn't sure she was ready. And her grandmother? Didn't her parents want to meet her? There was only one way to find out. "Sure."

"Great!" Prue exclaimed, sounding excited. "Do you know this place called Quake?"

"Yeah, I do." Piper more than knew it. She practically lived there until… well, Piper hadn't been there in a while.

"Excellent. Is one o'clock tomorrow okay?"

"That's fine. See you then."

"Bye."

Piper hung up the phone and stared at it for a few seconds. That had been the most surreal phone call of conversation of her life. Okay, so she had only arranged to meet someone, but that someone was a complete stranger. And Piper didn't usually arrange to meet strangers.

As she put the phone down and climbed to her feet, Piper's emotions were torn. She was excited and a little scared at the prospect of meeting her real family, but at the same time she felt like she was betraying her parents by meeting them.

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Prue tapped her foot against the side of the table and picked at her nails as she waited for Piper to show. Piper was ten minutes late and Prue didn't think she could stand much more waiting.

The telekinetic witch looked over at her younger sister – no longer her only one – and saw Phoebe staring towards the door. Prue followed her eyes and her heart nearly stopped.

A young woman with long, silky hair chocolate brown hair and a petite, slim build was just entering. It was obvious who she was, and not just because of the way she was wringing her hands nervously.

"Oh, you don't think that's…?" Phoebe asked.

Prue gulped. "It looks like it. Oh God, she's coming over!"

Piper approached the table, tugging at the hem of her moss green T-shirt. "Hi, are you Prue?"

"You look so much like Mom!" Phoebe cried, springing to her feet and nearly knocking Piper over as she hugged her.

"Err, thanks." I think." Piper's eyes were startled at finding her self in the arms of her younger sister, and it took her a moment to return the hug.

"Trust me. It's a compliment." Prue rose to hug Piper herself. "I'm Prue, and this is Phoebe."

All three sisters sat down, the air around them turning awkwardly silent.

"Grams would've been here," Prue said. "But she thought it better we meet together first. You know, because of the whole…" Prue trailed off. She could tell from her new sister's face that Piper understood.

Piper nodded. "That makes sense." Piper couldn't hold it in any longer. She just had to ask the question that had been burning in her mind. "Why… why did you find me? I mean…" What did Piper mean?

Phoebe looked shocked. "Piper, our sister. We wanted to find you. And not just because of the whole Charmed thing. Are you okay?"

"Um, yeah." But she wasn't. A sudden wave of nausea had washed over her; possibly due to morning sickness, possibly because of the emotions, questions and thoughts spinning around Piper's head were making her dizzy. "Um, your Mom…"

"Oh." Prue looked across at Phoebe, and her eyes matched the sadness in the eldest witch's "Piper, Mom died when we were young," Prue explained gently. "And our dad isn't around," Prue added bitterly.

"Oh. I'm… I'm sorry."

"You weren't to know. We're sorry to hear about your parents. That must be so hard," Phoebe said sympathetically.

"Yeah." Piper dropped her eyes, not wanting her Prue and Phoebe to see her tears and not bothering to ask how her sisters knew. Talking about her parents hurt so much, and she didn't want to talk, especially to these strangers who were sisters. She needed to take her mind off her parents before she broke down. "So, how did you… find me?"

Prue launched into the whole story with helpful interruptions from Phoebe.

"Right." Piper couldn't say much more. Her head was spinning, her stomach heaving.

"Are you okay?" Phoebe asked again.

"Yeah… no. I need some air." Half-falling from her chair, Piper managed to mutter; "I'll call you," before stumbling towards the door.

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Piper walked along the path, head bowed and arms wrapped around herself. She couldn't take it all in. Another dead mother… a non existent father. Still, she had sisters, and they were family. God only knows she needed someone. They were family…

Maybe that was why she felt so bad for bailing on them.

Piper had tried to go back in, she really had. But for some reason she couldn't. It was all too much; discovering she had no parents, meeting her sisters. Not to mention having to explain why she had fled. She wasn't ready. She just wasn't ready.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N. Thank you for the reviews.

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Chapter 6 

'_Go away!' _Piper willed silently, bringing her knees up to her chin. But the annoying buzz of her phone didn't stop, and Piper groaned. "Go away." She picked up a pillow from her sofa and launched it at the phone.

Finally it stopped ringing, and Piper breathed a sigh of relief. It had probably been Prue or Phoebe again. Prue had already rung twice, but Piper couldn't call them back. She was still getting used to the idea and wasn't ready to talk, especially not to strangers. But she would ring them. Soon.

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Prue stalked backwards and forwards, her feet slapping softly on her carpeted bedroom floor, making a dull thud in the silence. The eldest witch clung onto the phone pressed to her ear so tightly her knuckles were growing a ghostly white.

"Come on, pick up!" She muttered. The voice mail cut in, signalling that, just like the past two times, Piper was not going to answer. "Dammit!" Prue cast the phone onto her bed with a glare.

"Prue, sweetie, are you all right?" Penny's voice asked, floating in from the other side of the door.

"I'm fine," Prue lied, her tone falsely cheerful.

"Okay."

The sound of footsteps moving away told Prue that her grandmother was gone, and she flopped onto her bed with a sigh. Of course she wasn't okay! Piper hadn't answered any of her calls, and Prue was worried sick about her. But she couldn't tell Penny or Phoebe any of this. They would be so disappointed if Piper let them down again. No, it was better not to tell them.

Prue retrieved her phone, pressed the re-dial button firmly. Voice mail again. Maybe this time she should leave a message.

"Hi Piper, this is Prue. I know you must still be in shock, we all are, but I would really like to meet up again. Just to make sure you're okay. If you don't want me to bring Phoebe I won't, I know she can be a bit intimidating sometimes. Anyway, please just call back soon, so I know you're all right." Prue paused. "Bye then, I guess."

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Piper listened to Prue's voice, full of genuine concern. It wasn't fair for her to have walked out like that, and Prue really did sound worried. The prospect of talking to Prue alone was comforting. She didn't want to land into the middle of a whole family. But Piper couldn't find the strength to reach for her phone, to put Prue's mind at rest.

_I can't, it's not fair on my parents. It's not right to just move into a new family. It's not right, and I'm not ready. _

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"Where are you going?"

Prue spun around, her face guilty.

"Well?" Phoebe paced her hands on her hips and her eye narrowed to slits.

"I, uh, I'm going for a drive." Technically it wasn't a lie, as Prue was going to drive to find Piper, but she still didn't like telling little lies to her family. Prue just had to remind herself she was doing it to protect them.

"Can I come with you?"

"I need to be alone. To clear my head." That wasn't really a lie either.

"Oh." Phoebe's tone was hurt, but she shrugged like she didn't care. "Okay."

"I'm sorry."

"Whatever." Phoebe left the foyer and Prue exited the house.

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Piper was just drifting into an uneasy sleep; her eyes heavy and her mind in that peaceful place between dreams and reality, where neither can hurt you. Because of this sleepy state, Piper thought she was dreaming when the shrill 'ping' of her doorbell chimed through the apartment. A split second later it went again, jolting Piper wide-awake.

With a low groan she rolled off her bed, wondering who the hell it could be. She stalked over to the door and threw it open.

"Hey Piper!" Prue greeted.

"Prue!" Piper gasped. Her sister was the last person she expected to be at her doorstep. She had to get rid of her. She didn't want to talk. "I'm sorry, I can't talk right now." She pushed her front door, hoping Prue would get the message and leave.

Prue placed a firm hand on the other side and slid through the gap. "And I'm sorry but I'm not leaving until I get an explanation."

Piper sighed wearily and turned into her home. "For what?"

Prue crossed her arms over her chest and fixed her sister with a glare. "For why you bailed on me and Phoebe." Prue's arms fell to her sides. "We were worried about you," she added softly with a hint of concern.

"Yeah? Well don't be."

Prue flinched at her sister's harsh tone. "Please, talk to me."

Piper whipped around to face Prue, her chocolate brown eyes blazing with anger. "Why? You don't understand. No one under…" The end of Piper's sentence dissolved in a wail as tears began to roll down her cheeks and she collapsed onto Prue. "No… no one… un… understands!"

"Ssh, it's okay, it's okay," Prue whispered, smoothing Piper's silky hair while her own eyes glistened. Her heart was breaking for Piper, and she wanted to make the pain go away. "Everything will be okay."

Piper wrenched herself from Prue's embrace. "How can you say that?" She hissed. "Nothing will ever be okay again. They're gone. They've been there my whole life and I don't know how to cope without them. I need them!" Piper inhaled deeply and wiped her tears away harshly. "So tell me, Prue, how will everything be okay?" She spat.

"Because I'm here for you. I always will be," Prue answered quietly.

What could Piper say to that? Her sister, who she had known less than twenty-four hours had promised to always be there. Piper's heart ached a little less in that moment, because even though she would never see her parents again, she knew she would never be alone. There really were no words to express how she felt.

"Feel better now?" Prue asked kindly, producing a tissue and handing it to Piper.

"Yeah. Thank you. And sorry for running off the other day."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're okay."

"D'you want to sit down?" Piper sank into her sofa and tucked her knees under her chin.

"Sure. It helps to talk you know."

"So I've been told." Piper swallowed hard to force down the lump in her throat. "It just hurts so much."

"I know it does." Prue took Piper's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "I remember when Mom died. I didn't think the pain would ever go away. I was only seven and a lifetime of hurt like that scared me more than the prospect of growing up without a mother. I didn't know then that the pain fades."

"Was your dad around then?"

"Our dad," Prue corrected.

"Our dad." The words stuck in Piper's throat. She had a father, and a really great one. She didn't want or need another.

Prue snorted as if the thought was preposterous. "For a while. But a few months after she died he left."

"Why?" Piper's heart went out to Prue. As hard as it was to endure her parents' death, at least she had known them. It couldn't have been easy growing up without a mother and father.

"Dad didn't want us to be raised as witches. Do you know about the Charmed Ones?"

"Oh yeah. That was a surprise."

"Tell me about it," Prue agreed.

"So I guess your, our, Grams wanted you to raised as witches?"

"Yeah. Dad left because, well, Grams knows how to win an argument, so we never saw him again. And he can stay away for all I care."

"You don't mean that. Family's important," Piper said, her eyes filling again.

This did not go unnoticed by Prue, and a terrifying thought crossed her mind. "You won't try anything stupid, will you?"

"Like wh… oh." Suicide. Prue thought she might commit suicide. Piper couldn't say she hadn't considered it, because she had. "I won't," Piper promised. "After all, it's not just my life." Oops.

"What? Oh. Oh my God. You're pregnant?"

"Yep. Two months," Piper confirmed. Well, what was the point in lying? Prue had already guessed, and it would be obvious in a few months anyway.

"Oh! Congratulations." Prue gave Piper a heartfelt hug. "My first niece."

Piper slipped from Prue's arms and raised her dark eyebrows. "Niece?"

"We only have girls in this family," Prue explained. "For roughly three hundred years it's been all girls. Ever since Melinda Warren, the first witch in our line."

"I'm having a little girl. I've always wanted a daughter!"

"Who's the father, I mean, is he around?"

Piper's joy at finding out she was carrying a girl disappeared and her eyes darkened. "No."

"He didn't take well to you being pregnant?"

Piper laughed bitterly. "He didn't take well to his baby and its mother being witches."

"Oh. Well if he can't except you for who you really are, he sounds like a jerk."

"Yeah," Piper agreed. "That's one word to describe Dan Gordon. Others would be; sensitive, romantic and sweet."

"Hmm. He doesn't sound that bad."

"Oh, for the first two years we went out he wasn't. He was perfect. But then he learnt of the real me, and bam! He doesn't want to know."

"If he can switch just like that I think you're better off without him."

"I am," Piper said confidently. "I am."

"Piper, I know Phoebe and Grams really want to meet you," Prue said suddenly.

Piper paused awkwardly. She didn't want to be rude, but she didn't know if she was ready to meet the whole family. "I… I don't know. I mean, you have your own little family, and I don't want to… ruin that."

"Oh, Piper. You're our sister. You're part of the family."

Piper nodded. Prue's words were genuine, and Piper must admit she was curious about her grandmother. "Okay. I guess I have to meet them sometime."

"How about I get Grams to cook next week," Prue suggested. "I would cook myself, but I don't want to give you food poisoning."

Piper laughed. "Next week sounds great."

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A/N. I hope you enjoyed that little Prue/Piper chapter. Please review.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N. Thank you so much for the reviews. I know most people don't like Dan and neither do I, but I didn't want to bring a new character into the story, and it would be too complicated for Leo to be the baby's father, so I chose Dan. But don't worry, Leo will appear soon!

Also, in earlier chapters I mentioned that Cole was Phoebe's boyfriend, but I've decided to give Phoebe a new boyfriend called Jake. Jake is a witch, with the power of pyrokinesis, and he is sixteen, one year older than Phoebe. This won't be important until later chapters, but I thought I'd let you know.

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Chapter 7 – 1 week later 

"What's so special about tonight again?"

Penny added the sliced tomato into the simmering pasta sauce and stirred. "Sweetheart, I've already told you I don't know. Prue asked me to cook something nice, so I am."

Phoebe sniffed the enticing scent of onions and garlic contemplatively. "Maybe she's invited Andy round. Does that mean Jake can come too?"

"I don't think she has. Remember she wants us both to dress up."

"Oh God! Maybe she wants a family dinner with Andy."

Penny shrugged and dropped a pinch of salt into the mix. "You'll have to ask Prue."

"Okay." Phoebe hopped down form the kitchen surface and marched off to find Prue, who was in the living room.

"Hey." Phoebe flopped onto the sofa.

"Hi," Prue responded, not looking up from the book she was engrossed in.

"What are you reading?" Phoebe asked, peering over Prue's shoulder.

"A college book. Photography."

"Are you, like, obsessed with that or something?"

"No. I just know what I want to do with my life, and intend to work hard to get it." Prue flipped the page over.

"Hey!" Phoebe protested. "I'm exploring my options. Besides, I'm still in high school. I'll find my calling."

"Yep." Prue's tone was one that said she didn't believe her sister's words.

"So, what's happening tonight?"

Prue sighed and snapped the book closed. "I can't tell you."

"Prue." Phoebe drew the word out in a long whine.

"It's a surprise." Prue's blue eyes twinkled. "You're going to love it."

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A few hours later, Piper pulled up in front of Halliwell Manor, her stomach buzzing with nerves. She climbed out the car and smoothed the creases of out of the purple satin dress she had chosen. Piper had spent hours searching her wardrobe, looking for the perfect outfit. After all, she wanted to create the right impression.

Piper started up the steps, impression.

Piper started up the steps, fighting the urge to vomit. The rose coloured Victorian looked imposing and Piper hoped her welcome wouldn't be as cold as the old house looked.

With a steadying breath, Piper reached up and rang the doorbell.

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The bell! Prue shot out of her seat, suddenly thinking this wasn't such a good idea.

"Go on," Penny instructed, shooing Prue from the living room and into the foyer, where Phoebe stood frozen at the door.

Suddenly, she lurched forward and hugged the person at the door, dragging her inside. "Piper! Oh my God, I can't believe it's you! After the other night… I can't believe it's you!"

Phoebe spoke so fast Piper had a hard time understanding. "What?"

"I can't believe it's you!" Phoebe released Piper and turned to Prue and Penny. "It's Piper!"

The pregnant witch smiled a hello to Prue.

"Piper, this is Grams," Prue introduced.

"It's nice to meet you," Penny said.

Okay, obviously this woman didn't like her. Piper briefly considered running, but Penny pulled her into a surprising embrace.

"Oh! You're even more beautiful than I imagined."

So much for that theory. "Thank you Mrs Halliwell."

"Grams, please. Now let's eat." Penny kept her arm around Piper's shoulder, as if she didn't want to lose her again. "I cooked it all myself," she added.

"Wait. You cook?" Piper was delighted.

"Yes, Do you?"

"Yeah. I love it." Piper was relieved to have found something in common with her family already; at least they'd have something to talk about.

As Piper was led into the living room, with Penny saying something about having cooked everything, Phoebe chattering happily away, and Prue grinning at her, she had never felt more at home.

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As the evening wore on, that feeling had continued to grow. All through dinner and desert, Prue, Penny, and Phoebe had made Piper welcome, and conversation had flowed. There had been some awkward moments when someone had asked a question to do with Piper's parents. But they were bound to be curious, it was only human nature, so Piper had answered as best she could. Over all, the evening had gone well.

And now Piper stood in the attic in front of the Book Of Shadow, preparing to call for the Power Of Three. She knew it was a huge responsibility and she felt anxious. Would her powers grow? Would more demons come after them? What if being Charmed was too much to handle?

Piper was particularly concerned about Phoebe, who was only fifteen and not always very mature. Piper had thought the same thing about herself, but her parents' death and falling pregnant had forced her to grow up quickly.

"Ready?" Penny's voice knocked Piper from her daydream.

"Ready." Piper took Prue and Phoebe's hands, forming a circle. She took one last glance at crow, who looked apprehensive, and Phoebe, whose eyes shone with excitement, before beginning the spell.

_Hear now the words of the witches, _

_The secrets we hid in the night. _

_The oldest of gods are invoked here,_

_The great work of magic is sought. _

_In this night and in this hour, _

_We call upon the ancient power. _

_Bring your powers to we sisters three_

_We want the power, give us the power. _

Silence. The whole room was silent, as if waiting for some big explosion. But none came. Everything remained the same.

Except, it didn't. All three sisters felt something. They felt… different… more powerful, like they could take on the whole world.

"So, what do we do now?" Phoebe voiced the question on everyone's minds.

"Now you practise your powers," Penny answered.

"Right." Prue's head dropped and her chin met her chest. Across the room there was a ruby red flash, and Astral Prue appeared. She waved her arm, but nothing happened. Her eyes clouded with disappointment, before Astral Prue travelled back into her body. "There's no difference, I still can't activate my telekinesis in my astral form."

"Your powers will grow gradually," Penny explained. "As will your bond as sisters."

"Oh God," Piper muttered, and she was sick right there on the attic floor.

"Piper!" Penny gasped, while Phoebe and Prue darted for their sister.

"Are you okay?" Prue asked, rubbing Piper's back.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Come and sit down." Prue gripped Piper and steered her towards the sofa.

"Should I call our whitelighter, Leo?" Penny wanted to know, her brow knit in concern. "He can heal you."

"No, I'm fine. Really," Piper insisted, her cheeks flushed. Questions would surely follow, and Piper didn't want to give any answers.

"I'll clean that up," Phoebe offered.

_Let the object of objection, _

_Become but a dream, _

_As I cause the seen, _

_To be unseen. _

White, gleaming lights swept through the room, taking the mess with them as they disappeared.

"Nicely done," Prue praised.

"Thank you."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Penny took a seat beside Piper. "If you've been ill…"

Piper shook her head. "I'm not ill."

"Then what?" Phoebe asked.

"You have to tell them Piper," Prue said, fixing her younger sister with a meaningful glare.

"Tell us what?" Penny demanded, her eyes suspicious.

"I'm pregnant," Piper announced, her face turning more and more crimson. She glanced at Phoebe and Penny. Their two reactions couldn't be more different. Phoebe was beaming from ear to ear, while Penny looked… shocked.

"This is fantastic. Congratulations," Phoebe said earnestly, somehow restraining herself from hugging Piper.

"Piper…" Penny began.

"Just hear me out," Piper interrupted. "Please. I know this is a shock. It was for me too. But I've thought about it and I really, really want this baby. I love it more than I thought possible."

Penny nodded slowly. She wanted to lecture Piper, to make her see she would be throwing her life away. But she couldn't. What's done is done, and she wouldn't feel right, as she had only known Piper a few hours. "I can't pretend to be happy about this, but…" Penny paused as if the next words were hard to say. "But ultimately it's your decision, and I'll help in whatever way I can."

"Thanks Mrs Halliwell. That means a lot."

"Grams," Penny corrected. "And it's my pleasure."

"Okay," Phoebe said. "Can Piper meet Leo now?"

"You'll love him," Prue promised.

"Does this make him my whitelighter too?" Piper asked.

"Yes, so all the more reason for you to get to know him," Penny replied. "Leo!"

A cloud of blue and white light rained down from the ceiling and formed into Leo. "What is it?"

"Leo, meet Piper. Our sister," Prue said proudly.

As Leo turned to face her, Piper's pulse quickened. Leo was gorgeous, with sandy blonde hair and a tall strong build. But his eyes, so green and full of care, really attracted Piper. They seemed to read into her soul, to understand her. Which was stupid, as they hadn't spoken a word to each other. Piper blinked hard. How long had she been staring at Leo, unaware he was having exactly the same thoughts?

"Hi, I'm Piper." Piper held out her hand.

"Leo." The whitelighter took his new charge's hand.

As their skin met, a tingle passed up their arms and down their spines. They each held on a little longer than necessary, until Piper tore her hand away.

"What was wrong with her? Piper hadn't felt this way since she'd met Dan… and look how that turned out.

"Uh." Leo ran a hand through his hair, his cheeks redder than usual. "I have to, uh, go. It was nice meeting you Piper."

"You too Leo." Piper dropped her gaze, suddenly hot. She didn't want anyone to see the disappointment in her eyes. For some reason, she didn't want Leo to go, she wanted to get to know Leo. What was wrong with her?

"Come on, Piper. I've got something to show you," Penny announced, pulling Piper up with her.

"What?"

"You'll see," Penny replied mysteriously, beginning to rummage through some boxes. After a while she straightened up and turned to face Piper. In her hands was a soft baby pink blanket, with a darker pink triquetra stitched into a corner.

"Our baby blanket!" Prue exclaimed.

"That's right." Penny smiled and pressed it into Piper's palms. "And I want you to have it. For your baby."

"Really?" This meant more to Piper than any words. It meant she had been excepted. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Piper embraced Penny tightly. "Thank you. Grams."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N. Thank you for the reviews. In response to a question, Piper's baby is going to be a girl, and as much as I love Wyatt and Chris, they will not be born in this story. However, there will be males in the family.

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Chapter 8 – Two weeks later 

"Can you pass the milk please?"

Prue reached out and pushed the jug of milk along the table.

"Thank you." Phoebe lifted the jug and poured the creamy liquid over the brightly coloured cereal in her bowl. She shoved some in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "What are you doing up so early? I didn't think you had college today."

"I don't. But that doesn't mean I can laze around the house all day."

Phoebe shook her head in disgust. "If I didn't have to go to school I wouldn't get up this early."

"Neither, apparently, would Piper," Penny said, glancing disapprovingly at the staircase.

"Give her a break Grams. She's pregnant," Prue pointed out.

"You know, I'm a little worried about her," Phoebe admitted. "She was really quiet last night."

"Last night was the first time she slept round," Prue reminded her. "She was bound to be nervous."

"True. Hey." Phoebe lowered her voice and leant into the table. "Have you noticed how Piper and Leo act around each other? D'you think something's going on between them?"

"I dunno," Prue replied. "But they definitely seem to like each other."

"Girls, they've only met three times," Penny said. "And besides, witch-whitelighter relationships are forbidden."

"By who?" Phoebe asked.

"The Elders."

"Do they have to poke their noses into every aspect of our lives?" Prue, who was not a big fan of the powers that be, demanded.

"Everything they do is for the greater good," Penny told her.

"Maybe, but it's damn annoying."

"Morning." Piper shuffled into the kitchen, a hand placed gingerly on her stomach.

"Are you okay?" Prue asked. "You look kinda pale."

Piper took a seat at the table, wrapping her dressing gown around her tightly. "I feel a little sick."

"Maybe you should try something to eat," Penny suggested, offering Piper a basket of croissants.

"Uh." Piper placed a hand over her mouth and nose. "No thanks."

"Morning sickness?" Phoebe asked sympathetically.

"Morning, noon and night," Piper replied.

"I don't think constantly feeling sick is a normal symptom of pregnancy," Prue said, her blue eyes radiating concern. "Have you been to a doctor?"

"Actually, no. I haven't."

"What?" Penny gasped. "Why not?"

"I… I don't know." Piper shrugged sheepishly. "I guess with everything that's been going on…"

"You should really see a doctor, especially if you're not feeling well," Prue insisted.

"I'll book a scan, okay?"

"Okay," Prue replied, satisfied. She picked up the newspaper. "Oh no, there's been another murder." During the past few weeks, four women had been killed, and the police were getting no where with their enquiries.

"Let me see." Phoebe snatched the newspaper from her sister, and her mind filled with psychic images.

"What is it?" Piper asked, not used to watching Phoebe during a premonition.

"I had a premonition. Another woman is going to die. Tonight."

"We have to call the police," Penny said.

"And tell them what?" Phoebe demanded. "That I had a premonition? Besides, the woman's a witch, I saw her use a power."

"Which means the other women were probably witches too," Prue said.

"So the murderer was a warlock or demon," Piper concluded. "And we have to stop him."

"Okay Phoebe, could you find the place in your vision?" Prue asked.

"Yes."

"Right." Prue banged her fists on the table decisively. "You go I.D the demon/warlock in the book before you leave for school, and then we'll go there tonight and vanquish it."

As her three granddaughters left the table, Penny watched them go with satisfaction. They were already acting like sisters, like the Charmed Ones, and they had only known each other two weeks.

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"And there's your baby," the doctor announced. As he moved the scanner back and forth across Piper's flat stomach, a grainy image appeared on a screen.

"Oh look!" Prue, who had accompanied Piper, cooed.

"I know!" Tears of happiness shone in Piper's eyes, and for the first time since her parents' death, her tone was light.

"So is everything okay?" Prue tore her gaze from her little niece to address the doctor.

"Everything's fine."

Relief flooded through Piper. "Thank God," she breathed.

"So why did she feel so ill?" Prue handed Piper a tissue so she could wipe the gel off.

"Well, every pregnancy is different, and some women experience morning sickness throughout."

"Oh great," Piper mumbled. "I'm sorry for wasting your time." Piper climbed off the bed.

The doctor waved his hand dismisively. "Not at all. It's better to be safe than sorry. Especially as you're so young."

The doctor's tone wasn't judgmental, but Piper blushed and averted his gaze as they left. Once out side the room, Prue looked down at the picture in Piper's hand. "Oh! What a cute little blob!"

"Hey!" Piper protested playfully. "That's my baby you're insulting."

"I can see the resemblance."

Piper began to laugh, but stopped abruptly. Why was she joking and giggling with Prue? She barely knew her. Piper expected the sensation to feel strange, but it didn't. It felt right, natural.

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Prue, Piper and Phoebe moved silently through the thick fog. The mist enveloped everything, suffocating, dampening and silencing. But the Charmed Ones' quick stride cut through it like a knife as they approached the back alley. A heap of rotting fruit and meat smouldered just metres from where the innocent crouched, ready to pounce.

"Oh gross," Phoebe complained, while Piper clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Ssh," Prue hissed. "There's the warlock."

"He has an athame," Phoebe noticed, pointing to the double-edged ceremonial knife in the warlock's grip.

"Okay." Piper stepped from their hiding place and flung out her arms, freezing the warlock, just as the witch was about to attack.

The young woman stopped sharply and gaped at the warlock in shock.

"Go. Get out of here," Prue ordered as she and Phoebe joined Piper.

The witch nodded mutely and ran off.

"Okay, what do we do with this guy?" Piper wondered, circling the warlock.

"Piper, watch…!"

The warlock unfroze and swung his arm at Piper, sending her flying through the air. She crashed into a wall and tumbled to the ground.

"Piper!" Phoebe screamed, racing to her sister.

Prue waved her arm and the warlock sailed into a Dumpster. Satisfied that he was unconscious, Prue sprinted for her sisters. "Leo!"

The whitelighter appeared in a swirl of bright lights. "What?" He asked anxiously.

"Piper."

Leo instantly dropped down, his face panic stricken. Leo loved all his charges dearly, but Piper was… different. A warm glow spread from his outstretched hands and seeped into Piper.

"My baby!" The words were out of Piper's mouth before her eyes fluttered open to see Leo's concerned face gazing down at her.

"It's okay. I sensed another life and healed it too." Leo's face was unreadable, but inside his heart ached with disappointment. If Piper was pregnant then surely she had a boyfriend, which meant… No. It was just wishful thinking. She was a witch, he was her whitelighter; they couldn't be together.

"Thank you."

"No problem." Leo stepped back to let Prue and Phoebe help Piper up. "I'd better go." He couldn't take his eyes off Piper. She was beautiful.

"Bye Leo," Prue and Phoebe said in unison.

"Bye." Piper's eyes were fixed on Leo's. They were so green, she could drown in them.

Prue gave a little cough and Piper and Leo both looked away, their faces flushed.

"Bye," Leo mumbled before orbing away.

"Told you," Phoebe muttered smugly to Prue.

"Okay." Piper shook her head, as if shaking away a daydream. "Let's get this guy."

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"Piper."

Piper jumped in fright and the scan picture in her hand fluttered to the floor. She spun around, ready to freeze or explode. Neither was necessary, as she recognised the person standing in her bedroom doorway.

"I'm sorry," Leo apologised. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"That's okay, you just surprised me." Piper bent down to retrieve the picture.

Leo also stooped down, and their fingers met over the scan image. Neither of them moved, they just gazed into each others' eyes, their hearts beating furiously.

Suddenly, Leo dropped his eyes and released the piece of paper to Piper. "Uh, here you go." He straightened up.

"Thanks." Piper rose to Leo's level and placed the picture on her bed. "Not meaning to be rude, but what are you doing here?"

Leo's face broke into an awkward grin and he chuckled nervously. "I wanted to check you were okay… after earlier."

"Oh. I'm fine." Piper sensed Leo had come for another reason, but he looked so nervous she decided to let it drop.

"Good. So did you get the warlock?"

"Yeah. We used a Power Of Three spell."

"Great." Leo ran a hand through his blonde hair. He couldn't think of anything else to say, but he didn't want to go. He glanced down and his eyes fell on the picture, which was already becoming dog-eared. "So, is that your baby?"

Piper's face beamed. "Yeah."

"How far gone are you?"

"Three months."

"I'd like to congratulate your boyfriend." Not exactly subtle, but it was better than asking the question outright.

"Oh!" Piper blushed. "I don't have… the father didn't stick around."

"I'm sorry." Okay, Leo wasn't sorry Piper was single, but he was sorry she had to bring the baby up alone. "I'd better be going."

Piper barely heard what Leo was saying; she was so entranced by his eyes, his lips. She wondered what it would be like to kiss those lips, to feel them against hers. Suddenly, Piper reached up and pulled Leo down, pressing her lips against his.

For a moment Leo just stood there, stunned. Eventually he responded to the kiss and wrapped his arms around Piper.

Finally Piper pulled away, her cheeks flushed and her breathing heavy. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't…"

"Don't apologise," Leo interrupted. "I really like you, but we can't. Witches and whitelighters just can't be together, despite how much we want it."

"Oh." Tears glistened in Piper's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "Of course."

"I'm sorry. I have to go."

Piper nodded mutely and kept her gaze down as Leo disappeared in bright lights. When he was gone, she let the tears start, hating herself for hoping at a chance of happiness. Whenever Piper felt truly happy, something always came along to spoil it, so what was the point?

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A/N. Don't worry all you Piper/Leo fans, I am also a fan, so I wont be able to keep them apart for long!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N. Thank you for the reviews. Be prepared for more Piper/Leo action in this chapter!

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Chapter 9 – Two weeks later 

Prue stared out the calm, steely grey water of the lake, a single tear running down her face. This camp, where Prue used to come as a little girl, once held happy memories for her. But ever since that day in 1978, Prue could only remember one thing.

_---A seven year old Prue raced through the crowd of people towards the dock. She couldn't find her mother, and she was scared. _

"_Mommy!" _

_The crowd parted to let Prue through. She reached the dock and stopped short. A woman with long golden blonde hair and hooped earrings lay, half-covered in a black sack. Her mother had earrings like that, but this woman looked wet, and she was pale… to pale. _

_Unnoticed by the horde of police officers, she crept closer to the lady, trying to convince herself it wasn't her mommy. _

_But then she heard it. A police officer reading the name 'Patricia Halliwell.' _

_Prue stopped again after hearing name. It was her Mommy's name. But her mommy was no where to be seen… unless… _

"_Hey. Can someone get this kid out of here? She shouldn't see her mother like this." _

_Gentle arms lifted Prue up and began to carry her away. As he black sack was zipped up over the woman's face, Prue realised that was the last time she would ever see her mother. _

"_Mommy!" Tears began to roll down her cheeks. _

"_It's okay Prue. Your Grams is looking for you." The strong arms deposited her on the ground and moved away. _

"_Mommy!"--- _

It had been thirteen years, and yet Prue remembered that day like it was yesterday; the confusion, the fear, and the pain.

The pain. It had never really gone away, despite the fact that she could still see her mother occasionally. It was still as all consuming and raw as thirteen years ago.

Maybe that was why she came here, to the closed down camp, so often. For some strange reason she felt close to Patty here.

The ring of her phone made Prue jump. She brushed her tears aside and took a deep breath before answering.

"Hello?"

"Prue, where are you?" Penny asked. "College finished an hour ago."

"I'm stuck in traffic," Prue lied. She couldn't tell Penny and Phoebe she came here; they would worry and convince her to talk about her feelings. But Prue didn't want to talk. Nothing would change the fact that her mom was gone. The only person who knew she came here was Andy. He never tried to pressure her into talking, he knew she would open up when she was ready.

"Prue?"

"Sorry, I, uh, got distracted." Prue's eyes wondered over the lake, resting on a boat that bobbed near the dock.

"With what? You're stuck in traffic."

The man in the boat was leaning far over the side. He jerked back, but some invisible force seemed to attach him to the water. "I've got to go. The traffic's moving." Prue snapped her phone closed and dumped it into her bag.

"Help me!"

That was all the invitation Prue needed. She sprinted closer to the man, lifting her arm to use her power.

"No!"

Something charged into the side of Prue, pinning her arms down as the boat sank into the water, along with the man.

"Get the hell off me!" Prue ordered, wrenching herself free. She spun around to face the person who had cost her the innocent.

It was a stout man, around fifty-five; his grey hair and unshaven stubble making him appear older. His eyes were ice blue, and held a secret pain also shown on the fine lines of his face.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Prue demanded angrily.

"It already had him."

Prue turned towards the water. What already had him? She whipped back around to face the strange man, ready to ask him that exact question, but he was gone.

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"I don't think your Grams likes me very much." Jake Ellison's voice was low as he warily studied Penny, who was hovering by the kitchen stove.

"Don't be silly, she loves you," Phoebe replied in a whisper.

"Umm. I don't know." Jake flinched, as Penny looked daggers at him.

"Okay. Maybe she isn't your biggest fan," Phoebe agreed. "But I love you, and that's the main thing." Phoebe snuggled up to her boyfriend. "Piper likes too."

Jake's warm hazel eyes flicked from his girlfriend's grandmother to her new sister, who was munching on a cracker. "So what's the deal with her? Some guy gets her pregnant and then leaves?"

"That's what she told us. But I'm hoping Leo may restore her faith in love."

"Leo? As in your whitelighter? Isn't that kind of forbidden?"

"Well…. Yeah," Phoebe admitted. "But she's been through so much, I'm hoping the Elders would go easy on them."

"That's if they're interested in each other. They may not be," the male witch pointed out.

Phoebe squinted her eyes and bobbed her head up and down. "Oh, they're interested."

"And you have a sixth sense for these things?" Jake teased.

"Yes, I do," Phoebe replied playfully. "Empathy, remember?"

Prue came crashing into the kitchen, disrupting all conversation. "We have a prob… Piper! What are you doing here?"

"Phoebe invited me round, so I could meet Jake."

"Oh." Prue spun around. "Maybe you should leave Jake."

"Prue!" Phoebe leapt up from the table, appalled at her sister's rudeness.

"We have a problem."

"And it can be discussed in front of Jake, who is a witch also."

"I think it would be best if Jake did leave," Penny piped up.

"Actually, me and Phoebe…" Jake began.

"I think this is a bit more important," Prue cut in.

"Geez, she is a tight ass," Jake muttered to Phoebe as he left.

"Well that was rude," Phoebe said angrily the moment he was gone.

"I'm sure he'll get over it," Prue mocked. "Now, as I was saying, we have a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Penny asked.

"A man drowned."

"On the free-way?" Piper asked.

"No. At the lake," Prue admitted quietly.

"What lake?" Piper looked more confused by the minute.

"The lake… where Mom was killed," Phoebe realised. "What were you doing there?"

"I go there sometimes, to think," Prue confessed.

And you didn't think to tell us?" Phoebe demanded.

"Girls, we'll talk about this later," Penny said in a firm voice, which left no room for argument.

"Mom was killed in a lake?"

Prue looked at Piper sympathetically, knowing it must be hard to cope with her adoptive parents and her birth mother dead. "She drowned."

Penny coughed awkwardly and shifted from foot to foot. "Actually, she didn't."

"What?" Phoebe demanded, stalking over to the island.

"She, uh, was killed by a water demon," Penny told them sheepishly.

"A water demon," Prue repeated incredulously. "And you didn't tell us this why?"

"Because I knew you would want revenge, and it would be too dangerous without the Power Of Three," Penny replied imploringly, desperate for them to understand.

"So you lied to us about this too!" Phoebe cried, hurt.

"I didn't want to see my granddaughters killed the same way my daughter was."

"We'll talk about this later as well," Prue decided, something in Penny's tone telling her to be kind. "Right now we need to stop this thing before it hurts anyone else."

"Right," Piper agreed. "Tell us everything you know."

"It takes over its victims' bodies and drowns them form the inside."

"You mean…" Phoebe gasped, tears springing to her eyes.

Penny nodded silently.

Prue slipped her arm around Phoebe's shoulders, their earlier fight forgotten. "So, uh, how do we vanquish it?"

"My baby!" Piper cried.

"What's wrong?"

Piper waved her hand dismisively. "Nothing. The baby can vanquish the demon."

Phoebe frowned. "How, it's still in the womb."

"I know that. But it has the power of electrokinesis…"

"And electricity is the only substance that can separate water particles," Prue finished.

"What she said," Piper agreed.

"I don't know Piper, you shouldn't use your baby's power like that," Penny said hesitantly.

"She's right."

The four witches looked up at the sound of the male voice, to find Leo standing at the other side of the island.

Piper's heart fluttered at the sight of him. He was looking at her… she was melting. _'Snap out of it,' _she instructed herself. He wasn't interested in her, so why was he looking at her like that, tenderly, regretfully?

"Why?" Phoebe asked.

"Because it's dangerous, the baby could get hurt."

"I'm going," Piper told them decidedly. "I'm not the kind of woman to sit on her ass eating bon bons throughout my pregnancy."

"But," Leo protested.

"Why do you care so much?" Piper wondered.

'_Because I don't want to see you or the baby get hurt. Because I'm beginning to fall in love with you,' _Leo answered mentally. In the past week, Piper and Leo had met a few times. It had all been Leo's idea; he claimed they needed to build a relationship as witch/whitelighter, but secretly, Leo just wanted to see Piper. And despite how hard he fought, every time he saw her, he fell just a little bit deeper. He knew it was forbidden, and he knew it was fast, but Piper was so funny, so beautiful and so strong. "As your whitelighter it's my job to care," he answered eventually.

The words stung Piper like a slap across the face. They were so cold. Piper was beginning to think he felt something for her, like she did for him. But no, he was all profession.

"Maybe you shouldn't go," Prue said. "We don't want to risk the baby's health."

"I would never let any harm come to my baby," Piper replied sharply. "I want to go."

"Fine," Prue finally relented. "But Leo's coming with us in case you need healing."

"Okay," Leo agreed. "I'll orb."

Prue took Leo's hand, while Phoebe took hers, leaving Piper to hod his other one.

"Wait? Isn't Grams coming?" Piper asked.

"Oh no. This is your fight," Penny replied.

Piper nodded and grabbed Leo's hand, trying to ignore how right it felt to touch him as he orbed them away.

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"Whoa." Piper stumbled away, her hand resting on her stomach, which felt like it had been ripped out through her mouth. She fell onto a sun lounger.

"Your first orb, huh?" Leo guessed.

"Yeah."

"Don't worry, the feeling soon fades," Prue assured her.

"Can you stand?" Phoebe asked.

"Yes." Piper got to her feet. "I'm ready."

"Just be careful." Phoebe hugged Piper tightly.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Prue asked.

"Positive," Piper replied with more confidence than she felt. "We can't let this thing kill any more innocents." Piper pushed her shoulders back and marched onto the dock, feeling more scared with each step. But she couldn't turn back now.

She peered over the edge of the wooden planks, once at the end of the dock. "I know you're there demon." The water bubbled. "And I know you want me." More frothy, white bubbles. "So come and get me."

"Piper, behind you!" Leo yelled, sprinting towards her while her sisters looked on in horror.

Piper spun around and flicked her wrists. Leo froze half way down the wooden poles, out of harms way. At the same time, a bolt of neon yellow electricity shot from her hand, striking the huge tower of murky water that was rising above her. Electricity crackled up and down the watery spiral, encasing it. The electricity wrapped around the tower, squashing it, until finally, it collapsed and sloshed over the dock.

Leo unfroze and ran for Piper, followed by Prue and Phoebe, who were both crying.

"You did it!" Phoebe cried. "You killed it!"

"Thank you so much." Prue launched herself at Piper, joined shortly by Phoebe.

From under the pile of sisters, Piper saw Leo smiling warmly at her.

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Leo dropped Piper's hand as soon as their feet touched the ground. She fell immediately onto a sofa, still not used to the sickening effects of orbing. They had already taken Prue and Phoebe back to the Manor, so they were alone.

And now they were alone, away from distractions, Leo was finding it increasingly difficult to find his emotions. When the water demon had attacked Piper from behind, he had been terrified. It was in that moment Leo knew that he couldn't ignore his feelings for her.

"Uh, thanks for bringing me home," Piper said awkwardly, wondering why she still felt like that around him. After all, they had met four times since the kiss. Piper gazed up at Leo. He was looking at her that way again, the way Dan used to. Suddenly it dawned on Piper why.

"Piper, I…"

"Don't," Piper interrupted, a pained expression on her face. "I know what you're going to say… but we can't." This had been what she wanted, so why was she fighting it?

"Piper, I love you," Leo told her, despite the witch's protests.

"You can't… we can't." Piper's voice was begging him to stop, to make it easier by just going.

"I don't care about the Elders!" Leo cried. "All I care about is you."

"But, what will they do to you?"

"I don't know. But I love you. I know we've only known each other three weeks, but I feel like I've known you my whole life."

"Me too," Piper admitted. "But I don't want you to get hurt." If being together meant harm would come to Leo, then she'd rather they ignored their feelings and stayed friends.

"They won't. The Elders aren't like that," Leo promised.

Piper's face broke into a huge, happy grin as Leo tilted his face towards hers and their lips met in a sweet, perfect kiss, which sealed their future, no matter what may come their way.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N. Thank you for the reviews, I now got over 50! Yay! This chapter is short and a bit rubbish, but it's just to lead into the next one. Hope you enjoy. Also, Andy knows that the sisters are witches.

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Chapter 10 

"Andy, stop it!" Prue shrieked, trying to slither away from her boyfriend's grip as they sat in Prue's bedroom, a while after the demon vanquish.

Andy stopped pummelling Prue's neck with kisses to answer. "I can't. You're irresistible."

"Well, you'll just have to try and resist me," Prue shot back, trying not to giggle.

"You've got me under your spell." Andy moved his face away from her neck and moved towards her mouth instead.

Prue placed her hands firmly on Andy's chest and pushed him gently away. "Stop or I will put a spell on you," she threatened playfully.

"I'm stopping," Andy said quickly and jokingly, scooting over to the other side of Prue's bed.

"Thank you. You didn't want Grams to catch us, did you. Remember what happened last time?"

Andy shuddered at the memory of a furious Penny forbidding Prue seeing him. "We were fifteen though."

"Yeah, but she still treats me like a little girl sometimes," Prue sighed.

"If it bothers you that much you should move out," Andy suggested.

"I couldn't. We need to be together because of the whole Charmed thing."

"But Piper doesn't live here," the mortal pointed out.

"Actually, we're going to ask her to move in with us," Prue admitted.

"When?"

Prue frowned at the concern in Andy's voice. Why wasn't he happy for her? "As soon as possible, You don't sound that thrilled."

"I'm just worried. Are you sure you're ready for that?"

"We're stronger together," Prue replied, touched that Andy was concerned about her.

"I didn't mean as witches. I meant as sisters."

Prue contemplated the question for a moment. "I honestly don't know."

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Piper pulled away, her face flushed and her breathing heavy. "Am I dreaming?" She murmured.

Leo grinned and leant his forehead against Piper's, so they were gazing directly into each other's eyes. "No," he whispered.

"Then why am I so happy?" Piper asked, matching the whitelighter's smile.

"I don't know, but it must be contagious."

Piper's face grew serious and she moved out of Leo's arms. "Does it bother you that I'm pregnant with someone else's baby?"

"No. I realise you come together, and I knew that when I fell for you."

"Just don't hurt me okay. I can't handle anymore right now," Piper told him, looking down at her feet.

"Hey, look at me," Leo instructed softly, lifting Piper's chin up. "I could never hurt you."

Piper nodded as she led Leo over to her sofa. "So, if you're a whitelighter, doesn't that mean you're dead?"

"Yeah. I died in the war." Leo put his arm around Piper as she rested her head on his chest.

"Vietnam?"

"No. World War Two."

"Oh." Wow, Leo had been around a long time.

"I was a medic. I wanted to help people, not kill them." Leo's voice became dreamy, as if he was lost in the events of over sixty years ago. "I was tending to a wounded soldier, when I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder. The next thing I knew I was bathed on white light, surrounded by Elders." Leo blinked, bringing himself back to the present. "Anyway, that was in the past. What matters in the present."

"Yeah, but it's good to remember," Piper said, her own mind drifting back to memories of her parents. "Even if it hurts."

Leo seemed to understand the meaning behind the words and he gave Piper's hand a comforting squeeze.

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Phoebe screamed and gripped the car seat tighter as Jake pressed down on the execrator. His father's car raced up the empty field, screeching in protest.

Phoebe glanced across at the dashboard. The dial read 120mph. They were going fast. Too fast. First it had been fun, freeing to drive alone in a deserted field, with just the mud, trees and each other for company. But now things were getting out of hand.

"Jake, slow down!"

Jake laughed loudly. "What's the matter, Phoebe, scared?"

"Please, slow down," Phoebe begged. She had known Jake was a bit wild, but never had she thought he would endanger their lives. She was scared.

"No, I'm having fun." Defiantly, Jake stamped down and the care sped up.

"You're going too fast." Phoebe had to practically shout to be heard over the roar of the engine.

"I'm only just getting started." Jake turned the steering wheel sharply and the car swerved right. But because of the high speed and sharp turn, the right wheel lifted of the ground, causing the car to topple over.

Phoebe raised her arms over her head as the car rolled, and everything went black.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N. Thanks for the reviews.

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Chapter 11 

Jake didn't come around until he was in the back of an ambulance, surrounded by paramedics. He could feel a warm hand clasping his, willing him to wake up. He had to let this person know he was okay.

Slowly, he lifted his eye lids and immediately pain flooded his senses. The light. The light was so bright. But the action hadn't gone unnoticed by his mother, who was sitting next to him, frantic with worry.

"Jake! He's awake!" Mrs Ellison cried. "Come on baby, open your eyes," she urged.

How could he comfort her without opening his eyes? Jake tried to move the hand gripped with his mother's, but a shooting pain travelled up his arm, mingling with the dull ache all over his body.

"It's okay honey, you've broken your arm. Try not to move it." Mrs Ellison released her son's hand and smoothed his floppy black hair back from his forehead. "Do you remember what happened?"

Jake prised his eyes open and blinked several times, finding the light more bearable. "Yes." How could he not? The accident had been his fault. If only he'd listened to Phoebe. Oh God, Phoebe! "Phoebe…"

"She's in the ambulance in front."

"Is she okay?"

Mrs Ellison sighed and tears clouded her vision. "They don't know."

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Piper paced the waiting room floor, her boots clicking on the tiles. "How long has it been now?"

Under normal circumstances, Prue would have smirked, but somehow she couldn't muster the energy. "Five seconds after you last asked."

Piper ran a hand through her hair. "She's been in there for ages."

"She'll be fine. She has to be fine." Penny's voice held a little quiver and her hands trembled as she held a cup of cold tea.

"But the doctors didn't know what injuries she had."

"She's in great hands." Prue chuckled lightly, but it came out false, unnatural. "Besides, Phoebe's faced countless demons, she wouldn't let a car accident stop her."

"I don't understand why Leo can't heal her," Piper said.

"His powers are restricted to demon only injuries," Prue replied.

"What I don't understand is how she could've been so stupid," Penny suddenly exploded.

"Grams, Jake was driving, not Phoebe," Piper reminded her.

"Don't mention his name in front of me," Prue hissed. "If I ever get my hands on him…"

"Doctor!"

"Prue looked up as the doctor came walking briskly over. She and Penny rose while Piper stopped pacing and joined them.

"Is she going to be okay?" Penny demanded.

"Miss Halliwell has suffered heavy blood loss, cracked ribs and a punctured lung, which could prove to be fatal."

"You… you mean," Penny stuttered, not daring to say the word.

The doctor nodded, understanding. "Miss Halliwell is being prepared for theatre as we speak." Dr James looked down at the three witches. "There could be some risks involved."

Prue swallowed back her frightened tears. "Just make sure she comes out alive."

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"How are you feeling son?" Mr Ellison asked, walking into Jake's hospital room.

"Sore. Any news of Phoebe?" Jake dropped the magazine he was trying to read and pushed him self up in the bed.

"I just met her family, asked how she was. Her oldest sister…"

"Prue…" Jake interrupted.

"Told me I had no right to ask. Eventually the new one…"

"Piper…"

"Told me Phoebe had a punctured lung."

Jake's already pale face grew whiter. "But that's bad, isn't it? Serious? It's all my fault!"

"Maybe you should've thought of that before speeding," Anne, Jake's mother snapped.

"Mom, I'm sorry."

Tears formed in Anne's eyes. "Sorry would not have helped if you or Phoebe where killed."

"But we weren't." Jake reached out with his good arm to comfort his mother, but looked up at his dad. "Can I see her?" Jake needed to say how sorry he was.

"She's in theatre at the moment, and then I think her family should spend some time with her," John, Jake's dad, replied.

Jake nodded in agreement. He didn't know what he's do if Phoebe didn't make it.

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Penny sighed wearily and rubbed her tired eyes as she slumped in a chair in a private hospital room. Phoebe had returned from the operation, which had been successful, and now she was still asleep. Prue was resting with her head on Phoebe's bed, snoring softly, while Piper had gone to get some fresh air.

But Penny couldn't sleep or leave the room. She didn't want to take her eyes off Phoebe, in case there was a sudden change. They had came so close to losing Phoebe, Penny didn't want to ever let her go.

"Grams?"

Penny jumped out of her seat and dashed to Phoebe's side. "I'm here sweetheart. Everything's okay."

Phoebe blinked hard and her eyes travelled around the room. "Where am I?"

"You're in hospital," Prue replied, grasping her little sister's hand.

"Why?"

Prue and Penny glanced at each other, both concerned. Wasn't forgetfulness a bad sign?

Penny smoothed back Phoebe's hair. "You were in a car crash."

Prue looked at the nurse who was checking on Phoebe's drip. "Is this normal?"

"Slight memory loss is common in car accidents. She should regain it gradually," nurse Smith replied. "How are you feeling Phoebe?"

"Woozy and sore. And a little breathless."

"The breathlessness will be because your left lung was punctured. It's perfectly normal with injuries of that kind. Just rest and some will be back to check on you in an hour." Nurse Smith smiled brightly and trotted put the room.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Penny asked.

Phoebe screwed her face up in concentration. "Feeling scared… being a car… Jake going too fast." Phoebe's eyes widened. "Was Jake in the crash too?"

Prue nodded. "He has a broken arm."

"Phoebe sunk back in relief. So he's okay?"

"Unfortunately," Prue muttered darkly.

"What do you mean?" Phoebe wondered.

"Jake was driving the car. He caused the crash," Penny explained gently.

"No. Not deliberately," Phoebe said firmly. "He wouldn't."

"That's not what it looks like," Prue said.

"You've just never liked him. When will you give him a break?" Phoebe demanded angrily.

"Girls, this is not the time to argue," Penny told them. "Phoebe, you need to rest so Prue and I will go get some coffee."

As Penny and Prue wondered over to the door, it swung open and Jake walked in.

Prue glared at the male witch. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see Phoebe. To apologise."

Penny nodded and took Prue's arm. "Come on, let's get that coffee."

"Fine," Prue agreed. "But he'd better not be here when we get back."

Penny tutted and led Prue away.

"So, how are you?" Phoebe asked as Jake took a seat.

"I've been better you. You?"

"I'm okay. Just as bit sore."

Jake just nodded, unsure how to put his guilt into words. "Phoebe…"

"It's okay," Phoebe interrupted. "You don't need to apologise."

"I do. I could've killed you. I can't believe I was so stupid.

Phoebe grinned. "You were pretty stupid. But it was an accident. The main thing is neither of us were killed." Phoebe leant forward, ignoring the pain, and kissed Jake. "I just hope you've learnt from it," she added after pulling away.

"I have," Jake assured her. "In future I'm going to think before I act."

"Good. So, what did your dad say about his car?"

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Piper leaned against Leo's chest, breathing in his scent, which she had came to find so comforting in such a short time. Tears dribbled from the corners of her eyes as stained his shirt as they stood in the hospital courtyard. "I was so worried about her," Piper sobbed. "I couldn't have coped. Not after Mom and Dad."

Leo leant his chin on Piper's head and rubbed circles in her back, wishing he could heal Phoebe. Being able to help witches was amazing, but not being allowed to heal their non-magical injuries could be frustrating. Especially if that hurt some one you loved. "You would have coped. You're so strong."

Piper stepped back and wiped her eyes. "I wish I believed that."

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Prue wrapped the pay phone cord around her finger. "She has a few cracked ribs and needed an operation for a punctured lung."

"Oh Prue," Andy sighed on the other end of the line. "Why didn't you call me sooner?"

"I didn't want to disturb you, and I was so bust comforting Grams and Piper."

"You're amazing," Andy told her. "Always protecting other people."

"Well, it is my job," Prue joked. "Any way, I was wondering if Jake would be punished. Legally, I mean."

"Do you want him to go to prison?"

"I want him to suffer for what he put Phoebe through." Prue sighed. "But if he goes to prison, or a juvenile delinquent centre, Phoebe would be devastated. So no."

"Okay, that shouldn't happen because Jake has a license and the car technically wasn't stolen, so unless Phoebe decides to press charges there's no need for the law to get involved."

"But he was speeding," Prue protested.

"There's no evidence of that."

Prue sighed again. "That makes sense."

"Is Phoebe allowed visitors yet?" Andy asked.

"Just a few at a time. Why?"

"I was thinking of coming to see her tomorrow. She's like a sister to me too."

Prue immediately brightened at the idea. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

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Three weeks later 

Piperpushed the door open and stepped inside the foyer, leaving room for Phoebe to shuffle through. Behind her came Prue and Penny.

"It's good to be home!" Phoebe cried, flopping onto the sofa with a yawn. Immediately she winced at the jolt, which sent pain everywhere.

"Look at these flowers!" Penny held up a bouquet of beautiful, deep red roses.

"Jake dropped the off yesterday," Prue said.

"Along with another teddy bear," Piper added.

"Another?" Phoebe couldn't count how many bouquets and presents Jake had given her over the weeks. The gesture was sweet, but unnecessary. Phoebe loved Jake, and he loved her. Even Prue had realised and accepted it.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N. Thanks for the reviews. This chapter is pretty bad because it was written in a rush, so don't expect much!

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Chapter 12 

"You should try this on." Prue stuck her hand out of the changing cubicle, in the small boutique, a purple halter neck clutched between her fingers.

Piper took the top and studied the price tag. "My finances won't let me." With a sigh she handed the top back. "Besides, my bump won't stay this small forever."

"You can wear it in what – six, seven months," Prue replied.

"It'll look great on you," Phoebe piped up from the other side of the shop. Of course, it had been her idea to go shopping, and she was making the most of it.

"People don't just snap back into shape. Normal women anyway."

"Okay, just promise us you'll come back when you can afford it," Prue said.

"What, in other twelve years when I can stop being a full time single mom and go to work?" Piper asked.

"You know we're here to help whenever you need us," Phoebe told her.

"Yeah, you're not going through this pregnancy alone," Prue added, stepping out from the changing room.

"I know, with you guys and Leo's help…"

"Leo?" Phoebe interrupted, wondering over to her sisters. "What's he got to do with it?"

"Oh." Piper flushed furiously, remembering too late that she hadn't told her sisters about Leo yet. "Uh, well… Leo and I… we're kind of… seeing each other."

"As in, romantically?" Phoebe wondered.

"Yes."

"I knew it!" Phoebe cried, earning her some strange looks from other shoppers. "I knew you two were great together."

"Well, it's early days, but things are looking good," Piper admitted, her face now flushed with pleasure.

"I'm really happy for you," Prue said as she hugged Piper. "But…"

"I know," Piper cut in. "The Elders…"

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Leo stood in front of the three highest Elders, surrounded by fluffy clouds and white mists. He wrung his hands nervously, waiting for their reply. He had told his bosses about Piper and him a few hours ago, and knew it was time for their decision.

"Leo," Zola began. "We have considered the relationship between yourself and the Charmed One…"

"Piper," Leo filled in.

"You know how we feel about witch/whitelighter relationships," Zola continued. "They cannot be allowed."

Leo's heart thudded. They were going to separate them; he just knew it. How could they, after all Piper had been through, after all they had both done for him? Rage bubbled up inside the usually calm whitelighter, and he was just about to lash out, when another Elder spoke.

"However, we have reviewed this case. Piper has been through so much in such a short time, and we believe she deserves all the happiness she can get."

"So what does that mean?" Leo demanded, more confused more than ever. The Elders had been cryptic and often sent mixed messages, but this time Leo's patience was wearing thin.

"It mean that you and Piper can be together."

Leo's heart soared. He and Piper could be together! He had to let her know.

"On one condition," a third Elder added. "That you do not let your personal feelings get in the way of your jobs."

"Of course." At that moment, Leo was so happy he could have agreed to anything.

"Bear in mind this is just a trial period. If you or Piper lose an innocent or charge because of each other, you will never see each other again," an Elder warned.

"I understand." Leo orbed away.

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As she stood in the queue, waiting to pay for the lunch she had ordered, Phoebe glanced across at Piper, who was saving them a table, surrounded by bags of clothes. "I think now would be a good time to ask her."

Prue knit her bow in confusion. "Ask who what?"

Phoebe rolled her eyes as if it was obvious. "Ask Piper to move in with us."

"Oh." Prue frowned again. "Why now?"

"Because," Phoebe answered. "She's relaxed and we've just spent the morning bonding like normal sisters."

"Okay," Prue agreed, "I guess now's a good a time as any." They finally reached the till, paid for their food and walked over to the table.

"We've got something to ask you," Phoebe announced as they sat down.

"What is it?" Piper wondered, already digging into her jacket potato.

"Well, we've all been thinking about this for a while, and we would really like it if you moved in with us," Prue replied.

Piper dropped her fork. "What?" _'Where the hell had that came from?' _

"Would you move into the Manor?" Prue repeated.

Piper swallowed hard, considering the question. She had often thought of the Manor as home, and she loved her sisters and Grams, and she knew they loved her. They were ready. "Okay. I'll do it – I'll move in with you."

"Yay!" Phoebe cried, and suddenly, Piper was engulfed by sisters.

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Leo orbed into Piper's apartment as she slammed her suitcase shut. "What are you doing?" He asked, momentarily forgetting his news.

Piper squealed and spun around, her hands raised. Leo burst into a thousand points of light, and instantly orbed back together.

"Ow!" He complained, rubbing his chest.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Piper dashed over to her boyfriend. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Leo replied.

"Just give me warning next time, okay? You can cause serious damage with that power," Piper grumbled.

"So could you," Leo shot back. Suddenly, a smile lit up his face and he slipped his arms around Piper. "Did we say hello yet?"

Piper grinned. "No."

"Hello."

"Hi." Piper reached up and kissed Leo.

"I've got some good news," Leo told her.

"I've got some news of my own."

"Okay, you go first," Leo offered.

"I'm moving into the Manor."

"Really? That's great!"

"I know. Now all I have to do is pack, and move out of this place." Piper glanced around the apartment, which still hadn't been properly decorated. "So, what was your news?"

"I spoke to the Elders."

Piper swished her arms in an effort to hurry him up. "And?"

"And we can be together! They've given us their blessing!"

"Oh! Oh my God!" Piper exclaimed, jumping into Leo's arms and squeezing him tightly. "This is brilliant!"

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One week later 

"Smile!" Prue ordered cheerfully.

Piper looked up and was instantly blinded by the flash of a camera. "Prue!" She complained. "Are you trying to damage my eyesight?"

Prue lowered the camera. "No. I'm trying to make my portfolio and get some pictures of you." Prue snapped again. "Remember we don't have any."

"That's no excuse to blind the poor girl," Penny said as she carried in one of Piper's boxes

"Fine," Prue said grumpily, putting down the camera. "No more pictures."

"And no more boxes." Phoebe plonked down the last box and dusted off her hands.

"Who wants food?" Penny asked.

"Me!" Prue, Piper and Phoebe cried simultaneously.

The witches wondered into the kitchen, debating on what to have. Most of it was dismissed, as one of them wouldn't eat it, or it made Piper throw up.

"You're one fussy eater," Phoebe commented.

"Yeah. I wonder if Mom was when she was pregnant…" She stopped short. Piper had referred to Patricia as mom. She didn't know why. Sarah had always been her mother. She looked up to see if anyone had noticed, and to her dismay saw they all had.

"It's okay," Penny said softly.

"No it's not okay," Piper hissed. "She's not my mom. I had a Mom, one I'll never forget or want to replace." Piper gulped back a sob. She shouldn't be here. Somehow her sisters and grandmother had become her family, and her parents were slipping away. "What if they hate me?"

"Who?" Prue asked gently.

"My Mom and Dad. What if they hate me for being happy, moving on?"

"Oh sweetie. They wouldn't," Phoebe assured her.

"How do you know?" Piper asked.

"I think I know just the spell to put her mind at rest. Come on." Penny led her granddaughters up to the attic, a mysterious gleam in her eyes.

"What kind of spell?" Piper asked, trudging up the stairs.

"One to summon the dead," Penny replied, opening the attic door. "I can summon your parents, if you want me to?"

"I…" Piper wanted more than anything to see her parents again, but what if they hated her; rejected her? She gave her answer quickly before she could change her mind. "I'll do it."

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"_Hear these words, hear my cry, spirit from the other side. Come to me, I summon thee, cross now the great divide." _

Penny, Prue and Phoebe all stepped back, leaving Piper standing just in front of the circle of candles. Two swirls of golden orbs appeared in the circle and formed into Sarah and Nathan.

"Mom. Dad," Piper croaked, tears sliding down her face. She didn't know what else to say. She couldn't have said anything else even if she did.

"Honey." Sarah crossed over the circles, becoming more solid with each step. She walked over to a motionless Piper and held her tightly.

"How are you darling?" Nathan asked, following his wife.

"I missed you daddy," Piper sobbed, reaching for her father.

For a moment they all stood their, hugging, while Penny, Prue and Phoebe watched with tears in their eyes.

"We're so proud of you," Sarah told Piper, finally breaking away.

"What for?"

"For the way you've coped. For moving on," Nathan replied, glancing at Piper's biological family. "We're so happy you've found your sisters, that you're not alone."

"I… I thought you'd hate me," Piper confessed.

"We could never hate you," Sarah said, brushing away Piper's tears.

"We have to go," Nathan said reluctantly.

"No…"

"We have to. But we'll never be far away," Sarah promised. "I love you." The deceased witch pecked Piper's forehead, and moved back into the circle.

"I love you." Nathan embraced Piper quickly, and once again repeated his wife's movements.

"I love you both too," Piper said, her voice cracking with emotion. She didn't want the to go. It was too soon.

Sarah and Nathan faded away in a warm yellow glow, and Piper just stared at the spot where they had stood.

After a while, Prue spoke. "There's someone else you might like to meet." From the look on her face Piper could tell it could be only one person.

"Only if you want to," Penny added quickly.

"Okay," Piper murmured.

Penny, Prue and Phoebe beamed widely and repeated the well-worn spell.

Piper watched with anticipation as her biological mother appeared in the same way her parents had. Would they look the same? Would Patricia be happy to see Piper, or wish the daughter she had given up had never found her way home?

Patty's long, wavy golden brown hair hung loose, and her coffee brown eyes were happy at being summoned. The instant Piper looked into them, she could see some of her self. It wasn't that she was particularly similar to her mother, despite what people had told her, but some thing was… familiar about her.

"Hi Mom," Phoebe greeted brightly. "How're you doing?"

"I'm…" Patty's voice trailed off as her eyes settled on Piper. Her hand shot to her mouth in surprise. "Oh my…"

"Hi," Piper said shyly.

Patty stepped firmly from the circle and made her way quickly over to Piper, in the same way Sarah and Nathan had, and hugged her just as tightly. "Welcome home."

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A/N. I hope you liked. Please review.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N. Thank you for the reviews. Hopefully, this chapter will be better than the last. It's based on the season one episode, The Witch Is Back, but with a few changes. Hope you like it.

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Chapter 13 – Two months later Salem, Massachusetts, 1692 

Two men marched together, their black, steel-toed boots leaving heavy prints on a hard – packed dirt floor. All around them chickens and hens pecked at the floor, desperately searching for something edible, while racing children wove in between them.

The sounds of children's laughter and adult chatter filled the air, along with the scents of various spices mixed sweaty, unwashed bodies.

In the middle of this chaos, a roughly constructed wooden building stood. Outside the building a tall man with shoulder length greasy brown hair waited impatiently, slouching against the wall. He straightened up as the guards approached and watched eagerly as one produced a key and opened the door.

The longhaired man stepped inside, and a woman in her early twenties turned to face him, her long skirts swishing and her dirt blonde hair flying.

As she recognised the man, her blue eyes blazed and her pretty face contorted with anger. "Matthew."

"Hello Melinda."

"Why? Why did you betray me?" Melinda demanded, a tremor in her voice giving away the hurt she felt.

"You got what you deserved."

"So you never loved me? All the passion… all the heat?"

"I had to make you trust me," Matthew replied, as if he had done nothing wrong. "It was the only way to share you powers."

"And now you have them. But why did you turn me in? You know I'll burn."

Matthew laughed lightly, as if Melinda's life was unimportant. "I had to keep my secret."

"And you can keep your trinkets too," Melinda spat. She reached up to her slender neck and ripped off a pewter pendant. As she tossed it at Matthew, the ruby encrusted in front of it gleamed.

Matthew caught the locket and opened the clasp. "Never mind. I'll find another witch to give it to." He pulled out a pink rose petal, which sparked a brilliant orange and emitted a plume of smoke.

Melinda smirked. "Perhaps not."

"What kind of magic is this?" Matthew demanded, dropping the petal.

"I'm taking back the powers you stole from me," Melinda answered, her voice strong and powerful. It was time to get her revenge. "Outside of time, outside of gain."

Wind whipped around the small room, enclosing Matthew in a tornado shaped structure.

"Know only sorrow. Know only pain." Melinda's voice rang loud over the howl of wind and the cry of Matthew's pain and fury as he was sucked into the locket.

Melinda smiled triumphantly. She had got her revenge, and stopped a dangerous warlock. But then her smile faded. She was still going to burn at the stake.

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"Have you seen my passport?" Penny asked, sifting through a stack of papers.

"On the island," Piper replied.

Penny dumped the papers on the kitchen table in front of her middle granddaughter and picked up her passport. "Tickets?"

Prue, who was sitting next to Piper, wearing an amused smile, plucked the top leaf of paper from the stack and handed it to her grandmother. "Here."

Penny smile gratefully, then looked around her wildly. "Now all I need is…"

"Coffee?" Piper filled in helpfully, offering a cup to Penny.

"But the plane…"

"Doesn't leave for three hours," Prue finished firmly. "Now drink."

With a sigh, Penny sunk into a chair next to her granddaughters. "It's just been a while since I flew all the way to Boston," Penny said in explanation for her frantic behaviour.

"Which is why you're going," Prue said. "So drink your coffee, and we'll get you to the airport."

Penny nodded and sipped her drink. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"We'll be fine," Piper assured her. "And besides, we're only an orb away."

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A few days later the Charmed Ones were in the attic, having a tidy up before Piper's baby arrived. Well, Prue and Phoebe were cleaning out. Piper was in the toilet. She swore her baby had a personal grudge against her bladder.

"You know, we really should get rid of some of this stuff," Prue commented, chucking another piece of junk into a cardboard box.

"Sure," Phoebe agreed. "As long as we keep all of this."

Prue wondered over to where her youngest sister was sitting and peered down into a huge box filled to the brim. "All of it?"

"Yeah. They're family heirlooms, connections to our ancestors."

Prue shrugged and something silver caught her eye. "What's that?" Without waiting for an answer, she reached down and pulled out a pewter necklace with a blood red ruby encrusted on the front.

"It look like a dirty old locket," Phoebe said. "Put it back."

But Prue wasn't listening. She was fiddling with the clasp. It came undone and the locket sprang open. A gust of wind poured from the locket and whipped around the attic, forming into a man.

Prue and Phoebe stared at the man. With shoulder length greasy hair and roughly made dirt smeared clothes, he was obviously not from this time. The man stretched up, working the kinks out of his muscled, and yawned. "It's good to be free. Ah, but the world had changed," he said, noticing that Prue and Phoebe were not wearing woollen dresses, but jeans and tank tops. "Tell me, what year is this?"

His voice held an English tint; Prue realised, confirming her suspicions that he was from colonial times. "Who are you?" The eldest witch demanded.

"My name is Matthew. And id you freed me from that locket, then you must be a descendant of Melinda Warren. But the family name is now Halliwell," he said, glancing at a school exercise book. Matthew took a threatening step forward and Prue flung out her arm, sending him into a wall.

Matthew picked himself up, unscathed. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"I tricked you into using your power against me and now I have it," Matthew told them smugly. He flicked his finger and Phoebe slid along the floor and outside the room. The door swung shut. The warlock squeezed his eyes shut and disappeared, reappearing next to Prue. He grabbed the telekinetic witch from behind. "Can you stop time?"

Prue's body stiffened with fear and her breathing became heavy. There was no way she could fight him on her own. They only stood a chance with the Power Of Three. "No."

Matthew tightened his grip on Prue. "What about that pretty little thing out there. What is her gift?"

"Prem-premonition."

Matthew grinned sinisterly. "So there's another."

Prue stumbled backwards as Matthew blinked away.

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Matthew stalked the streets, barely noticing the strange grey buildings and brightly coloured contractions that made loud noises and carried people around. Everything in this time was bright, loud and clean, but Matthew could smell the difference. There were no farmyard smells, yet the air wasn't clear.

Despite all the differences from his time, the warlock had only one thing on his mind; learning all he could about the witches, and gaining their powers. And he knew just how to do it.

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Prue threw open the attic door and nearly collided with Phoebe. "Are you okay?"

Phoebe stepped back to avoid being trampled on. "I'm fine. That power of your is pretty strong."

"Unfortunately, so was his." Prue's brow creased in concern as she went down the stairs. "We have to warn Piper."

"Warn me about what?"

Prue reached the second floor as Piper came out of the bathroom.

"Prue let loose a warlock," Phoebe replied.

"How exactly?" Piper asked.

"I found an old locket, opened it and poof, out come the warlock," Prue answered.

"He looked old, like he came straight from colonial times," Phoebe added. "And he mentioned Melinda Warren."

"As in the book Melinda?"

Prue and Phoebe nodded in response.

"I say we call Grams," Piper suggested.

"No," Prue disagreed. "We don't want to worry her. We should be able to handle one lousy warlock."

"Okay. Can I see the locket?" Phoebe asked.

Prue handed over the heirloom and Phoebe was sucked into a premonition. A few seconds later her eyes snapped open.

"What did you see?" Piper wondered.

"I saw Melinda Warren vanquishing Matthew."

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Matthew pounded the pavement, thinking hard and ignoring the funny looks people gave him. He had over heard a very interesting conversation about policeman. Apparently they were up holders of the law, and willing to help whenever possible. Because police officers had not been around in the seventeenth century, he had no way of knowing if this was true. So he was going to find out.

Finally he found a building called a police station. He went inside, expecting to see criminals chained to the walls, being tortured by stern looking men. Instead, he found men _and _women sitting at desks in front of large, flat squares that showed moving pictures. Stunned, Matthew stared at these pictures until a dark haired man approached him.

"Excuse me sir, can I help you?"

Matthew glanced at the man's name tag. "Mr Trudeau, I'm looking for three sisters with the name Halliwell. I need their house address."

Alarm bells started ringing in Andy's head. The only Halliwell sisters he knew of were Prue and Phoebe. Obviously this guy didn't know them this well if he thought Piper's surname was Halliwell. "I'm sorry sir, we can't give out that information. Maybe you should check the yellow pages."

'_I've got a quicker way,'_ Matthew thought, focusing his mind on Andy's. Immediately, images of Prue, Piper and Phoebe flashed through his mind of Andy's. _'Excellent, one of them is with child. I can gain another power' _Matthew kept searching the police officer's mind until the Manor came into view. _'How strange.' _Matthew had assumed the room he appeared in had been for storage, but seemingly it was their home. The warlock closed down the telepathic connection, leaving a very confused and concerned Andy.

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Prue clasped her hands together, taking charge. "Okay. Piper, you call Leo, see if he knows anything about seventeenth century warlocks. Phoebe, check the book." The doorbell chimed through the house. "I'll get the door." Prue made her way to the first floor.

"I guess my date with Jake's cancelled," Phoebe murmured as she trudged up the stairs.

Piper shook her head incredulously. "Leo!" Piper called, dubious that he would come. She hadn't heard form him in a week.

Surprisingly, a swathe of orbs formed into the whitelighter. "What's wrong?"

"Hello stranger," Piper greeted. "You've been gone a while."

"I've only been up there one day. Time moved differently," Leo explained. "How are you?" Leo placed a hand on Piper's five-month pregnant bump.

"We're both fine." It still amazed Piper that he could care so much for another man's child. It was one of the things she loved most about him. "Can you find out all you can about seventeenth century warlocks that can mimic powers and go by the name of Matthew?"

"Sure." Leo pecked Piper's cheek and left.

With a sigh, Piper walked up to the attic. "Anything?"

Phoebe snapped the book closed. "Nothing." The youngest Charmed Ones' eyes widened. "Piper, watch out!"

Piper spun around to see Matthew hurl a knife at her. Before she could even consider freezing the weapon, a bubble gum pink force field protruded around Piper's swollen stomach. The knife hit the shield and fell to the floor with a clatter. As soon as the danger passed, the bubble seeped back into Piper's tummy.

Prue ran into the room and squinted her eyes, intent on knocking the warlock far away from her sisters. But nothing happened.

With no active powers available Phoebe ran towards the warlock, launching herself into the air. With a well-aimed kick in the jaw, Matthew sprawled to the ground and blinked out before the youngest witch could attack again.

"Are you both okay?" Prue asked.

"Yeah. It seems the baby prefers Mommy to be indestructible," Piper replied. "Who was at the door?"

"Andy," Prue said. "Warning us about a guy wearing strange clothes who wanted to know where we lived. Matthew, I'm assuming."

"So what do we do now?" Piper asked.

"Consult someone who's done this before," Phoebe answered. "Summon Melinda Warren."

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Prue, Piper and Phoebe sat in a circle around a copper pot required for the spell.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Piper asked nervously. "What if she comes back all…"

"The spell's very specific. She'll come back as a real life person with powers. Our first powers," Phoebe assured her, holding up a knife.

"Okay, what's that for?" Piper wondered, shrinking away from the weapon.

"The spell works by blood calling blood," Phoebe explained, pricking her finger. A drop of crimson blood dropped into the copper pot.

"I can't stand the sight of blood." Piper told them.

Prue took the knife and followed Phoebe's actions. "Demons have blown up in our attic."

"Disintegrated to dust before our very eyes," Phoebe added. "And you can't stand the sight of blood? What are you going to do when the baby's born?"

"Fine," Piper said reluctantly, poking out her arm and covering her eyes.

Once all their blood was in the pot, The Charmed Ones began the spell.

_Melinda Warren, blood of our blood, _

_We summon thee _

In a swirl of pure white lights a young woman with honey blonde hair appeared. She beamed down at the sisters and inhaled deeply. "Blessed Be."

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A/N. Please review!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N. Thanks for the reviews 

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Chapter 14 

Prue reached into her wardrobe and pulled out a short black dress. She turned to face Melinda Warren, who had changed out of her woollen dress, and held the garment up for approval.

Melinda nodded. "This should fit me."

"Okay." Prue laid the dress flat on the bed and began to pull down the zip.

Melinda gasped, her deep blue eyes wide. "Don't rip the dress to make it fit me."

"I'm not," Prue assured her with an amused smile. "It's called a zip. See?" Prue picked up the dress and dragged the zip up, closing the gap.

"Oh." Melinda took the item of clothing and yanked the zip up and down. "A wise witch must have made this. Which sheep had wool so soft?"

"A synthetic one."

"Did it take you long to make?"

"Make? No, I bought it," Prue replied.

"Oh, you must be rich," Melinda guessed, slipping on the dress.

"No, she has credit cards," Phoebe corrected her ancestor as she and Piper walked into their oldest sister's bedroom.

"Oh wow, Melinda you look great," Piper complimented.

"Thank you. But who do you keep your legs warm?"

"We drink coffee," Prue answered with a smirk."

Bright lights filled the room as Leo materialised. "The Elders…" The whitelighter trailed off when he noticed Melinda. "Hi."

"Hello," Melinda greeted.

"Err, Leo this is Melinda, our ancestor. Melinda, this is my boyfriend, Leo," Piper introduced.

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, and congratulations for the baby."

"Oh…" Leo's face turned crimson and he ran a hand through his hair.

"Did I say something wrong?" Melinda asked, gazing worriedly at the sisters.

"The baby isn't Leo's," Piper explained with a small smile.

"I'm sorry," Melinda apologised. "I just assumed…"

"It's okay." Leo slid his arm around Piper's waist and rested his other hand on her swollen stomach. "The baby may not biologically be mine, but I love her like she is."

"Okay, wasn't that fun?" Prue asked sarcastically. "We've got to go now."

"Wait," Piper ordered. "What did the Elders say?"

"Well, they didn't know anything about a Warlock from the seventeenth century. All they could tell me was that he's very powerful and dangerous. They want you to be careful," Leo replied.

"Aren't we always?"

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Matthew flexed his fingers and an innocent by passer slammed into a wall, which surrounded the back alley. As she fell to the floor, Matthew noticed the cracked bricks caused by the force of the female hitting the wall.

The eldest Charmed Ones' powers were so strong, like an intoxicating drug flowing through his veins. Unfortunately, her sisters' gift were just a powerful, particularly the middle one's. Imagine what damage he could do with the ability to blow people up.

But before he could gain the others' gifts, he needed to stretch his powers after three centuries of being cooped up. The warlock advanced on his victim with a dangerous glint in his eye. It was time for some fun.

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"And once Matthew got what he wanted, he told the town council I was a witch." Melinda smiled up at Prue as the oldest sister slipped the locket over her neck. "And they arrest me, then burnt me at the stake."

"Why didn't you use your powers to get free?" Phoebe wondered.

"I had a daughter," Melinda explained, casting a glance at Prue. "Her name was Prudence. She meant everything to me. If I used my powers it would've proven Matthew's charge, and Prudence would've burned too."

'_She was trying to protect her daughter,'_ Piper realised. She knew what a terrible decision it must've been for Melinda, to leave her daughter all alone. But in doing that she had saved Prudence's life. Piper would do exactly the same thing for her baby.

"So I thought I'd accept this and pray some kind soul will take pity on my daughter and raise her in a safe home," Melinda continued. "Only then could the Warren line grow. And it must've worked, because here you are."

"Why do Warren witches lose their moms so early?" Phoebe asked.

"I can't change the past Phoebe," Melinda told her sadly. "But I think I can help protect the future."

"How?" Prue wondered. "Matthew has this wild power. He can be in one place the next…"

"In the blink of an eye?"

"Exactly."

"It's called blinking," Melinda explained. "He probably copied it from another witch."

"Copied?" Piper repeated.

"Matthew has the power to copy any good witch's power and use it against her. Once he has a power it has no affect on him. If he gains all of your powers he will become unstoppable."

"So what do we do?" Prue asked.

"We curse Matthew back into the locket," Melinda replied.

Piper shifted nervously. "And if we can't?"

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"I can't believe I don't remember all the ingredients."

Prue turned to face her ancestor, who was just entering the attic. "It's been a long time."

"Yeah, like three hundred years," Phoebe said as she followed Prue, Melinda and Piper.

"The ingredients should be in here." Piper placed her hands on the Book Of Shadows and turned the podium so it faced Melinda.

The blonde witch gazed down at the volume in wonder, thumbing through the pages. "The Book Of Shadows," she breathed. "Oh my! It's got so big."

"It wasn't always?" Prue asked.

"No. Obviously each generation has added to it. Have you ever written anything in the book?"

"Us? No, we can't just make up our own spe- wait, can we?"

"All things in time Phoebe," Melinda replied, causing Phoebe to grin excitedly at her sisters. "Sometimes the book teaches you, other times you add to it. Oh, here's the spell."

"Here you go." Piper handed Melinda a pencil and bit of paper.

The seventeenth century witch just stared at the pencil, unsure what to do.

"Just write," Piper instructed.

Melinda rested the paper on the book and began to write. She gasped with delight as words began to form. "No ink?"

"No ink," Piper confirmed with an amused smirk.

"A spell to increase patience," Phoebe noticed, glancing down at the book. "Grams must've used that a lot raising us."

"We weren't all trouble makers, Phoebe," Prue teased.

"A free spirit," Phoebe corrected.

"A pain."

Piper stayed out of the mini argument. She still felt awkward about the fact that she hadn't grown up with her sisters, and thinking about her childhood brought back painful memories of her parents; moments she wasn't ready to relive. It had been three months since their death, and she still missed them terribly. She wished her mother was here to help with the pregnancy, but so far Grams had done a great job in reassuring her worries.

"A Warren," Melinda said, breaking into Piper's thoughts. "It's a family trait. So are the strong wills, short tempers, the great cheekbones, and of course, the powers. All signs of where you came from." Melinda touched the book lovingly. "This book is your connection. And it began with me."

"Well, let's make sure it doesn't end with us," Prue said. "We need to get going."

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"The curse is really simple as long as you have all the ingredients," Melinda told her descendants as she handed Piper the list.

"Okay. Phoebe can do the spices. I'll chop the scallions," Piper offered.

"This is so cool, we've never done a curse before." Phoebe mixed together a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper.

"Oh, I'm glad. They're not to be taken lightly." Melinda peered over Phoebe's shoulder, like a teacher supervising her students.

"It just feels like there's so much we could be doing."

"I'd savour my first gifts before I move onto the next," Melinda advised.

"I see pictures, float and feel other people's emotions. What's to savour?"

"You see visions of the future and the past, and get an insight into the enemy's mind. That'll allow you to protect and to heal."

"Hah! You hear that Prue?" Phoebe asked smugly.

Piper looked up from the chopping board to glance at her eldest sister.

Prue was pacing and chewing her thumbnail, obviously agitated.

"Prue, relax," Piper instructed gently. "Matthew won't show up yet. Phoebe gave him a pretty hard kick."

"You're probably right," Prue agreed, but she made no effort to stop pacing.

"The spices are done," Phoebe announced, wiping her hands.

"So are the scallions. What else do we need?" Piper asked.

"An owl feather and some more herbs."

"Okay. Phoebe and I can get the herbs. Prue can astral project… somewhere to get the owl feather," Piper decided.

"No," Melinda protested. "You two can't leave the house."

"We'll be fine," Piper argued. "How can Matthew even know about China Town? Come on Phoebe." Piper grabbed her coat and marched out the house.

"Yes ma'am." Phoebe mocked saluted and chased after Piper.

Prue ran her hands through her hair. "I know the prefect place." She walked over to a chair and sat down comfortably. "See you in a few."

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Piper read down the list again, carefully selecting flawless ingredients. This was often her favourite part of the whole Charmed thing; brewing potions. She loved to see which ingredients worked well together, and often she discovered new recipes. Her eyes skimmed over a bag of chicken innards and she shuddered. Sometimes this part of her job made her fell ill.

"I need a pee," Phoebe whispered in Piper's ear.

"Well go then," Piper hissed. "There's some out the back."

"Okay." Phoebe scurried into to the toilets. She stepped into the room equip with cubicles and came across and man. "Sorry," she apologised quickly, thinking she had stumbled into the wrong toilets. But the she looked again, the man's clothing striking her as odd. It was Matthew! She tried to back out the door, but found it was locked. What was she going to do now?

"No need to apologise," Matthew said with fake politeness as he began to advance on Phoebe. "You're just the person I wanted to see." With a sudden lunge the Warlock grabbed the witch's arms and a vision played in both their minds.

**- - Melinda scooped the mashed up herbs, spices and scallions into a leather pouch. Prue passed her the owl feather and the blonde witch urgently stuffed it in with the rest of the mixture, Piper frantically threw out her hands and froze Matthew at the last minute. Melinda chanted the spell and Matthew was cursed back into the locket - - **

Matthew gasped as the premonition ended and dropped Phoebe's arms. The warlock grinned evilly. "I see you're planning to curse me. And I see Melinda's here." With that, he disappeared into thin air.

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Melinda wandered aimlessly through the rooms of the ground floor in Halliwell Manor, studying family portraits and inspecting new technology. She was amazed at how the world had progressed in three hundred years and do proud of how her family

Had grown into strong, powerful women.

Deciding to check on Prue, Melinda strode into the kitchen. Prue was still slumped in the chair; astral projected at some unknown location. She looked fine, so Melinda traipsed over to the counter. Bored, she pushed a random button on an electrical appliance. The liquidiser whirred into life and Melinda jumped back in fright, startled. When she realised the appliance posed no threat, she reached forward tentatively and pushed off.

Melinda spun around and stalked into the foyer as she heard the front door slam shut. She breathed a sigh of relief as she realised it was only Piper and Phoebe.

"Hey. Has Matthew been here?" Piper asked.

"No. Why?"

"He attacked me in the toilets. Got my power of premonition," Phoebe repiled.

"But did you get the herbs?"

"Every last one," Piper answered.

"Good, then let's get the potion started. By the time it's done Prue should be back." Melinda led her descendants into the kitchen, where they began mixing the ingredients.

A few minutes later Prue jolted awake and a tawny feather floated to the floor. Prue bent low to retrieve it.

"Hey," Piper greeted.

"Hi." Prue walked over to the island.

"We're nearly ready," Phoebe told her, taking the feather.

"Shame. I'm ready now," Matthew said, blinking into the room.

"Prue." 

"I'm on it." Prue flicker her finger and a chair flew at Matthew.

"Ready," Phoebe announced as Matthew got to his feet.

"Piper, now," Melinda ordered

Piper threw out her hands and froze Matthew.

Melinda unclasped the locket and held it out.

Outside of time, outside of gain 

_Know only sorrow, know only pain_

Matthew unfroze as he contorted in pain and was pulled into the locket. "This is not the end!" 

Matthew snapped the locket closed. "Oh yes it is."

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"Grams!" Phoebe cried a few days later, running down the stairs. "You're early."

Penny embraced her youngest granddaughter as she flew into her arms. "I got the feeling you needed me, so I got an earlier flight," Penny explained. "What have you been up to?"

"Oh, the usual."


	15. Chapter 15

A/N. Thank you for the reviews. Sorry about the mistake in the last chapter and thank you to Monkeywand for pointing it out, it should have been "Melinda snapped the locket closed." Not "Matthew snapped the locket closed."

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Chapter 15 – One month later 

"I can't wait to meet her." Leo gently ran a finger down Piper's expanded stomach. The couple were enjoying a rare alone moment, away from sisters, charges and demons. They sat cuddled together on the sofa.

"Me neither. I'm a little scared though."

Leo shifted position so he could look straight into Piper's eyes. "Why?" He asked gently.

"Oh, I'm just being silly. It's not important." Piper waved her hand dismisively.

"Honey, if it's important to you, it's important to me," Leo insisted.

Piper sighed, knowing she couldn't get out of this one. "It's just, with all the demon attacks…" How could she put it?

"You're worried the baby will get hurt," Leo realised.

"Yeah," Piper admitted.

"Oh sweetie, we wouldn't let anything happen to her. With all the witches in the house we'll be able to protect her."

"I know. But she'll be so small and vulnerable."

Leo laughed lightly. "Small maybe, but not vulnerable. She has a force field remember?"

Piper nodded and the couple fell into a comfortable silence until Piper spoke again. "You know, you can never have too many people protecting a baby."

"You're right," Leo agreed. Then his eyes widened as he caught Piper's hidden meaning. "You mean…"

"Yep," Piper said happily. "I mean, you practically live here anyway, and we've been seeing each other for three months. It just feels right."

"What do your sisters and Penny think?"

"They think it's a great idea, especially with the baby coming."

"Okay, I'll move into the manor." He leant in for a kiss. The witch and whitelighter broke apart as the doorbell chimed through the house.

"I'll get it!" Penny called, scurrying past the living room. The ageing witch reached the door and pulled it open. A man in his mid to late forties with salt and pepper hair and a tall, strong build stood on the porch, smiling down expectantly. "Victor!"

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Prue sighed wearily, closed her tired eyes and dropped her head onto folded arms. She was exhausted after spending a morning traipsing all over the city, gathering photos for her project. And now she was sat in the campus library, trying to summon the energy to put all her research into something presentable.

Prue's ears picked up on a noise that seemed like a scuffle, and her head shot up. This time she heard a low grunt and she spun in her chair in time to see a man of about fifty be pulled around a corner. Deciding something wasn't right, she jumped out her seat and sprinted to the bookcase where the man had been taken.

Prue poked her head around the bookcase and her heart thudded. The innocent was sprawled on the floor, presumably a demon bent over him. The demon held lime green hands over the man's chest and a light red mist was rising from the innocent and seeping into the force of evil.

As Prue stepped into full view, the demon shifted his head sharply to look directly at her. Prue almost stumbled back in shock. The demon's skin was all a dull green and his eyes glowed blood red. It's teeth were razor sharp and revealed in a snarl.

Prue glanced around her. The whole library seemed to be empty. The eldest witch raised her arm and the demon sailed through the air, shimmering away before he could hot anything. Prue rushed to the man and knelt beside him. With a closer look, Prue realised the man was the librarian. She was even lectured by his daughter, who would be devastated if anything happened to him. Luckily he was fine, just unconscious, so Prue called for help and ran from the scene before anyone could connect her with the incident.

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"Hello Penny. Long time no see."

Penny grabbed hold of the doorjamb to stop herself falling down. How could he be back? After all these years, how could her ex son - in - law be back? "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I've came to see my daughters," Victor Bennett answered coolly, as if he's only been gone a few days instead of thirteen years. "Where are they?"

"They're… they're out," Penny lied. She couldn't let her granddaughters see their father. He would just desert them again and what would that do to them, especially Piper? She already had two dead parents and a dead birth mother. How could she cope with more abandonment?

"Grams, who is it?" Piper called.

"Not home?" Victor asked smugly, while silently Penny cursed. "Are you going to let me in?"

"No," Penny answered bluntly. "You have no right to be here."

"Grams?"

Penny turned to her middle granddaughter standing in the living room doorway, gazing at Victor.

"Phoebe?" Victor breathed, his eyes wide with amazement. His little girl was a teen mom?

Piper's eyes flicked from Victor to Penny. "Grams, who is this?"

Penny sighed in resignation. "Piper, this is your father."

"My father?" Piper repeated incredulously. This man was her biological father? He was supposed to be God knows where. So what was he doing here? Piper inhaled deeply and stumbled backwards. This was way too much to handle.

"Piper?" Victor murmured. The young woman standing in front of him was the baby girl he had given up seventeen years ago. For all those years he had imagined this moment. And her she was, a beautiful young woman expecting a baby of her own.

"How…why?" Piper stammered.

"Piper, I know this is hard…" Victor began.

"How could you?" Piper interrupted. "Has this ever happened to you?"

"Well, no," Victor admitted.

"Maybe we should sit down," Penny suggested.

"Just one second," Piper instructed. She turned on her heel and stalked into the living room. "Leo we, uh, have a family… situation."

"Charmed?"

"No. I promise to explain everything later, but right now it would be best if you left."

"Okay," Leo agreed, rising from the sofa and pecking Piper on the cheek. "Just call if you need me."

Piper marched into the foyer as Leo orbed out. "I'm not going to ask why you gave me up for adoption," Piper told Victor. "I've already heard from Patty, and as a an expectant mom I can understand your reasons. I just want to know why you're here now."

"Don't we all," Penny mumbled. "I'll call Phoebe," she offered in a normal tone. "Phoebe!"

The youngest witch cam bounding down the stairs almost immediately. "What is it?"

"Phoebe, this is your father," Penny replied softly.

"What?" Phoebe's excited eyes darted to Piper, who nodded, and then at Victor. "Dad?"

"Hello Phoebe. Don't I get a hug?"

"Err, sure." Phoebe was pulled into an awkward embrace, which she quickly broke free of. "I'm just surprised you're here. Why are you here?"

"Does a father need an excuse to see his daughters?"

"When they haven't see each other in thirteen years, yes."

The front door burst open and Prue marched in. "Demon. Book Of Shadows." She strode all the way to the bottom of the stairs where she realised no one was following her. "What's the problem?" She twisted around and her eyes fell on Victor. "Oh God."

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"We don't have time for this." Prue thrust the attic door open and stalked to the Book Of Shadows. "We have a demon to find."

Phoebe scurried after her oldest sister, struggling to keep up. "Prue, our father, who we haven't seen in over a decade is downstairs!"

"I know that Phoebe," Prue said irritably. "We can deal with Victor as soon as we've dealt with the demon."

"Victor? Prue, he's our dad."

"No, dads raise, love and care for their children. They don't abandon them when things get tough." Prue flipped open the Book Of Shadows and began searching the sepia stained pages.

"Don't you think we should at least give him a chance?"

Prue looked up from the book to glare at Piper, who had just made it up to the attic. "He didn't give us one."

"Prue, I know how you feel," Piper confessed. "I'm not looking for another father. But don't you want to know why you left?"

"I know why he left," Prue replied. "He left because he's a spineless coward who obviously never loved us."

"You don't know until you talk to him," Phoebe said.

"We've got a demon to vanquish," Prue reminded them.

"Please, just give him a chance," Phoebe begged.

"You two talk to him. I've got a job to do."

Phoebe sighed with resignation and shrugged at Piper. What could they do?

Prue kept her eyes focused on the page in front of her as her younger sisters left the attic. She couldn't understand why they wanted to give Victor a second chance. She remembered when he left, remembered how confused and sad Phoebe was when Daddy didn't come home. She flipped over the page, forcing Victor out of her mind as she gazed down.

That was him! The demon on the page was the one she was looking for. Trox, his name was. As Prue read down the page, her heart pounded. Trox lived off a father's love.

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Prue jogged down the stairs and into the conservatory just as Piper and Phoebe sat down.

"Had a change of heart?" Victor asked hopefully.

"No. We need to get you out of here."

"What?" Phoebe gasped. "No."

"Phoebe, the demon I saw earlier feeds off a father's love. They drain it, eventually killing the father."

"So you admit that I love you," Victor stated.

"No, I don't think you do. If you did you wouldn't have left. But you're a father and that makes you a target for Trox," Prue told him. "And we don't lose innocents."

"I'm not going," Victor argued.

"You have to," Phoebe insisted. "We've only just found you. We can't lose you again."

"They're right," Piper agreed. "We'll call you after the demon's vanquished so we can talk."

"Bt won't I be safer with you?" Victor asked, desperate now. He couldn't just leave when he knew his daughters could get hurt. "I mean, if the demon comes after me, you can protect me."

"He has a point," Penny realised.

"Okay," Prue finally agreed. "But you have to stay out of our way and let us do our job."

"Of course." Victor took a seat to reinforce his words.

"Great. So what do we do now?" Piper asked.

"There's a pretty simple vanquishing potion. We make that and take things from there," Prue answered.

"I just love an easy vanquish," Phoebe murmured as she followed her older sisters out of the room.

Victor watched his daughter's go. "They're pretty used to this, huh?"

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"Potions ready," Piper announced, corking the vial containing the aqua blue liquid.

"Great." Prue picked up a filled glass and pocketed it.

"So do we summon the…"

"Demon!"

Prue, Piper and Phoebe shot panicked glances at each other before racing into the conservatory. Penny said protectively in front of Victor, her arm raised. Trox was growling deeply and advancing threateningly. As soon as the Charmed Ones barged, the demon recognised Prue. He launched a neon blue energy ball at the eldest witch, who stretched out her arm and deflected it with her powers.

The demonic arsenal hit Trox square in the chest. He flew backwards and smashed into the living room door. As he fell down a few ornaments and a picture toppled on top of him.

"Now!" Penny ordered.

Prue slipped the potion from her pocket and hurled it at Trox. It hit the floor in front of him and a plume of smoke surrounded the demon. With a howl of pain, flames engulfed Trox. The magical fire burst outwards, sending sparks and ash all over Penny's Oriental rug.

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Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Victor sat in the living room, each feeling lost for words.

"So, uh, do you face demons a lot?" Victor asked awkwardly.

"Only every other day," Phoebe replied with a strained smile. When her dad had turned up she was excited at the prospect of getting to know him and willing to forgive. But so far Victor hadn't done anything to show he deserved her forgiveness.

"That must be tough."

"It is," Prue said coldly.

Victor coughed lightly to cover the icy atmosphere. "When's the baby due Piper?"

"In roughly three months."

"And do you know if it's a girl or boy?"

"Well, we assumed it's a girl. All Warren witches have girls."

"I remember your mother telling me about that," Victor told them. "I was thrilled to have daughters. And to give you away Piper…"

The middle sister nodded mutely, her throat tight. She knew why Patty and Victor had given her up, and she understood how much pain it must have caused, but what could she say?

"And it broke my heart to leave you two," Victor added.

"So why?" Prue demanded.

"I… your Grams wanted to raise you as witches, but I wanted you to grow up as normal little girls," Victor explained.

"Don't you dare blame Gram," Prue spat.

"Prue, it's what Grams always told us. Maybe it's the truth," Phoebe said softly.

"If it is, then why didn't you keep in touch?"

"Because I was scared. Scared you wouldn't be the little girls I left behind and scared that you'd reject me. And believe me, that was one of the biggest mistakes of my life."

"So why come back now?" Piper asked.

"I was back in San Francisco on a business trip, and I missed you girls so much," the mortal replied.

"Are you leaving soon?" Phoebe wondered, surprised that she felt disappointed.

"In a few days, I promise to keep in touch." And this time he meant it. He was not going to let his daughters down again.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N. Thank you for the reviews. Just to let you know there's only about four chapters left in this story, but I have a sequel planned. Also, this chapter's super short, but the next one's longer.

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Chapter 16 

The demon's feet made little noise as he crept through the upstairs hallway of Halliwell Manor. His hooded black cloak blended in with the dark of night, giving Nephets the aid of invisibility. The only thing that would bring him to the witches' attentions was his breath, which smelt like raw sewerage and came out in hot raspy puffs. But luckily the Halliwells were heavy sleepers. Even as he pushed a heavy oak door open, they did not stir.

Nephets slid into the bathroom, surprisingly agile for a six foot, hunch backed demon. He padded softly over to the bed and gazed down at the witch. With her pale complexion and raven hair, Nephets recognised her instantly as the eldest Charmed One.

The demon reached into his cloak, his talon like fingernails snagging on the cloth, and drew out a crimson leather pouch. He dipped two fingers inside, coating them in a fine, silvery dust. Nephets stretched his arm over Prue and allowed the dust to sprinkle on her face. The demon held his breath as the witch groaned slightly and twitched her nose, before falling silent again. The force of darkness chanted a few words in an old dead language, completing the spell. With a satisfied smirk, he disappeared into the night.

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Phoebe stretched up on tip – toes and draped her arms around Jake's neck as they stood on the Manor's front porch. The weak morning sun was just peaking over the horizon, lighting up their tired faces.

"I don't want you to go," Jake said softly, resting his chin on Phoebe's head.

"I have to. It's six o'clock and Grams will be up soon," Phoebe replied regretfully. "And if she catches me…"

"You'll be grounded for a month," Jake finished. "But we've had such a good night, I don't want it to end."

"Neither do I," Phoebe sighed.

"I love you," Jake suddenly blurted out.

Phoebe's arms flew to her side and she stepped back. Had she heard him right? Did he mean it? Those three words where way too profound for this time in the morning and Phoebe's head began to spin.

"I've got to go," Jake said quickly, the meaning of his words crashing down on him. Obviously Phoebe didn't feel the same and he had to get out of there.

Phoebe nodded silently as Jake turned and fled. She grasped the door handle and walked inside slowly, Jake's words swirling around her head. He loved her. Sure, they'd been going out for nearly a year, and in most relationships love happened a lot sooner. But they were so young and loved seemed a bit daunting. Phoebe loved her boyfriend's laugh, his eyes and they way he looked at her. But did she love him?

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Prue stumbled into the kitchen, still dressed in sweatpants and a tank top. She rubber her puffy eyes and yawned. She didn't remember ever feeling so tired after a full nights sleep. Her head was throbbing and her limbs felt heavy.

"Morning. How comes you're up so late?" Penny asked.

Prue ignored her and sunk into a chair, feeling irritated. _'What the hell has it got to do with her?' _

"Would you like some breakfast?" Piper wondered.

"I can get my own breakfast," Prue snapped.

Piper frowned at her older sister. Something was not right.

"I'm sorry," Prue apologised, trying to quash the frustration she felt.

"Are you okay?" Piper reached out to touch Prue's arm.

Prue snatched her arm back. "I'm fine. Not that it's any of your business."

"Prudence!" Penny gasped. "What has got into you?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." Prue pushed herself up from the table and stalked into the foyer.

Phoebe skipped down the stairs just as Prue was about to trudge up them. "Morning."

"Have fun with Jake last night?" Prue asked with a sardonic grin.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Phoebe demanded.

Prue shrugged, her grin fixed in place. "If you're to dumb to figure it out…" Prue left the sentence hanging as she marched up the stairs.

Phoebe carried on into the kitchen. Was it because she had been up all night, or was everyone acting strange? First there had been Jake, declaring his love for her, and then there was Prue being unnecessarily cruel. Phoebe entered the kitchen and Piper and Penny both looked up.

"Hey, did you see Prue?" Piper asked.

"Yeah."

"And how was she?"

"A little bit… strange," Phoebe answered. "Why?"

"She was just a bit snappy," Penny replied.

Phoebe sat down and took a bite of an apple. "So it wasn't just me. I wonder what's wrong?"

"Maybe Victor returning affected her more than we realised," Piper suggested.

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Prue leant her forehead against the cool glass of the bathroom mirror, staring into her eyes. The usual warmth was gone, replaced by coldness. Prue shivered involuntarily. She felt like a poison was coursing through her veins, corrupting and changing her into someone she didn't want to be.

"What's happening to me?"

"You're evolving into a stronger, more powerful being," a soft male voice replied.

Prue spun around to face a hunchback, robed figure. She almost gagged from the stench emitting from him. "Who are you?"

"My mane is Nephets."

"What do you want?"

"Relax, child," Nephets soothed. "I'm here to help you with your destiny."

"I'm already fulfilling my destiny," Prue spat.

Nephets chuckled lightly. "You're destiny is not as a Charmed One. You have immense power. Power beyond the comprehension of mere witches."

"I don't understand."

"You're capable of so much more, Prue," Nephets told her. "By being Charmed you're being held back. Your powers are restrained to helping others, but if you join me, you can use them for whatever you desire. No more consulting with sisters, no more stupid rules. Just complete freedom."

Prue nodded, completely transfixed by what he was telling her. Suddenly, she didn't want to fight this feeling. "What do I have to do?"

Nephets smirked sardonically. His plan was working all too easily. "Dispose of you grandmother and sisters."


	17. Chapter 17

A/N. Thank you for the reviews.

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Chapter 17 

"Prue?" Piper gasped as her older sister appeared in a ripple of the air. "How did you…?" Piper stopped short. Something in Prue's eyes told her that this was not the sister she knew and loved. Prue's eyes were staring straight through her, unseeing. As a demon shimmered in next to Prue, but didn't attack, Piper's suspicions were confirmed. Prue had somehow been hypnotised.

"Do it," Nephets hissed to Prue.

"I… I can't," Prue stammered. Deep down she knew this was wrong. She was a Charmed One, a good witch.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Penny demanded, lifting her arm to fight Nephets.

"No!" Prue cried. As much as she didn't want to hurt her family, she couldn't let them hurt Nephets. After all, he had given her a new power. She flung out her arm, intending to send her family flying. Instead, thick dull green acid sprayed from her fingertips.

The baby's force field sprung up around Piper as the acid neared her. Penny telekinetically deflected her share, but Phoebe was too slow to duck or levitate so a glob of green goo hit her face. She screamed in pain and sunk to the floor.

"How could you?" Penny screeched. "She's your sister!"

"I'm part of a new family now," Prue shot back coldly.

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Prue and Nephets materialised in the underworld. Prue took a glance around her and shivered. They were in some kind of cavern with a high ceiling and torches adorning the walls. A fire burnt brightly, but no warmth radiated from it.

"We need more heat in here," Prue ordered.

"Yes my lady." Nephets clicked his fingers and several more fires lit spontaneously.

Prue smiled to herself at the words 'my lady'. She could definitely get used to this.

"Is there anything else you would like?" Nephets asked.

"I want to go hunting."

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Leo held his hands over Phoebe's face, letting the soft warm glow heal her injuries. Once he sensed everything was healed, he removed his hands and smiled down at his charge. "All better?"

Phoebe touched her face tentatively, then nodded in confirmation. "Thanks Leo."

"No problem." Leo pushed himself up off the floor. "What exactly happened."

"Prue's what happened," Piper grumbled.

"Prue?"

"We think she was hypnotised by a demon. It's a long story," Phoebe told him.

"One that I intend to finish quickly," Penny said. "Book Of Shadows. Now." Penny turned on her heel and marched towards the stairs.

"Right behind you," Piper called, beginning to stand up.

Phoebe was up like a shot, over taking her older sister. "Maybe you should stay here," she suggested, patting Piper's shoulder as the pregnant witch struggled to her feet. "No offence, but you're not as fast as you used to be."

"But…" Piper began to protest, but before she could finish Phoebe had scurried from the room.

Phoebe jogged up the stairs, catching up with Penny. "Why don't I scry for Prue?"

"Good idea," Penny agreed, walking over to the book.

Phoebe picked up a crystal and began to dangle it over a map of San Francisco. Clutched in her other hand was Prue's old teddy bear to make the scrying specific to her oldest sister.

"Here's the demon," Penny announced. "His name's Nephets. He's an upper level demon who can seduce his victims into joining the dark side by using a powder along with a spell."

"Vanquish?"

"Power Of Three spell. The victim requires a potion to be un-hypnotised."

"Great. Piper can do that while I write the spell." The string grew taut in Phoebe's hand and dropped onto the map. "Found her."

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Piper and Phoebe pulled into a deserted warehouse and instantly spotted Prue. The eldest witch had an innocent man pinned against a wall, his feet dangling a few inches off the floor.

"Oh, this is not good," Phoebe mumbled as she climbed out of the car. "Prue!"

Prue whipped her hear around and released the innocent, who fell to the floor. He scrambled to his feet and ran off. Prue twisted around, but he was already gone. "Now look what you made me do!"

"Trust me, you'll thank us for it later." Piper launched the potion through the air.

Prue spread out her fingers, letting acid contact the vial and causing it to explode. "You think you can stop me?" The oldest taunted. "I'm more powerful than the two of you put together." She shimmered away.

Phoebe rolled her brown eyes at the spot where her sister had just stood. "Glad to see her ego hasn't changed."

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Piper slammed the front door so hard the panes of glass rattled. Unfortunately, it didn't do anything to soothe her frustration and she clenched her fists. How could Prue do this? In the months Piper had known her, the eldest Charmed One had always been so strong. _'Must be a pretty powerful demon,' _Piper thought grimly.

The middle Charmed One followed Phoebe through the house and into the kitchen, when the youngest Charmed One suddenly stopped, causing Piper to knock into her.

"I wish you'd tell me before you do that," Piper complained.

"How did you…?" Phoebe asked.

"I used to be one of you, remember?" Prue sneered. "I knew you'd come back here."

Used to be? Piper really didn't like the sound of that. They needed to get the old Prue back quickly. "Phoebe…" She hissed.

"I'm on it," Phoebe murmured. Discretely, she slipped a hand into her pocket and pulled out a potion vial. "Ready?"

"Ready." Phoebe threw the potion towards Prue as Piper flicked her wrists and froze her and the demon.

"It worked," Piper muttered. Secretly, she was hoping her primary power wouldn't have affected Prue. But apparently she had been completely turned. Not for long.

The vial continued to sail for Prue, smashing right at her feet. As blood red smoke engulfed her, a grey mist rose from Prue. When the smoke cleared, it revealed the oldest sister, her ice blue eyes clouded with sorrow.

"Piper. Phoebe. I'm so sorry."

"Apologies later. Vanquish now," Piper ordered.

Prue glanced at the statue like demon and scurried over to her sisters. "Unfreeze him."

"Wh…"

"Just do it."

Piper made a slight gesture with her hand and Piper sprang into motion. His brow creased when she saw all three Charmed Ones together. "How?"

"You can't defeat sisters," Phoebe replied.

"Especially not the Charmed Ones," Piper added.

Prue flung out her arm and Nephets flew into the kitchen counter. "Now!"

The Charmed Ones joined hands and Phoebe began to chant.

_With the Power Of Three_

_We vanquish thee_

_Off the hell you must go_

Never again to be our foe 

The second time around Piper and Prue joined in, adding the power to Phoebe's. With the full force of the incantation, Nephets burst into a million pieces, showering grey dust all over the kitchen.

"It's good to have you back," Phoebe cried, slinging her arms around Prue's neck.

"It's good to be back."

"Guys, where's Grams?"

"Uh oh!" Prue raced into the living room, leaving Piper and Phoebe lagging behind. Prue skidded into the living room and cringed. Penny was sitting in a kitchen chair, her arms tied behind her back and her mouth gagged with cloth. Her brown eyes widened in relief when she saw her granddaughters.

"Oh, oh!" Prue scuttled to Penny and pulled down the gag.

"It's about time!"

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Phoebe dug her feet into the soft muddy ground. The swing she was perched on moved backwards and she lifted her feet up to let it fall back down. A pair of clean white trainers fell into her line of vision and she gazed up to see Jake looking down at her.

"You came," Phoebe stated.

"You said it was important. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," Phoebe assured him. _'Now Prue's back to normal,'_ she added silently. "It's about earlier."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have said it."

"Don't you mean it?"

"Of course I do."

"I love you too."

"I just should have waited… what?"

Phoebe rose from the swing and slipped her arms around Jake's athletic waist. "I love you too."

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"Andy, where are we going?" Prue had to bite her lip to stop herself from giggling as her boyfriend led her somewhere, his hand clamped over her eyes.

"It's a surprise."

Prue shivered as a brisk wind whipped around her and the heel of her shoe sunk into something soft. She could hear what sounded like water lapping at dry land. "Well, how much further is it?"

"We're right here." Andy removed his hands from Prue's eyes.

The witch gasped in delight. Before her on the sand lay a picnic blanket covered with all her favourite foods. Surrounding the blanket was tiny flickering candles buried in the sand, casting a warm golden glow. The rest of the beach was lit with hundreds more candles and the light of the silvery moon. "And, did you…?" Prue turned to face Andy and let out another gasp.

Her boyfriend had lowered to his knee, his arm reached out to her. Held between his fingers was a sparkling diamond set in a white gold band. Andy slid the ring onto Prue's finger. It fit perfectly. "I know we're young Prue but I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you more than words can say. Will you marry me?"

Silent tears of joy slid down her cheeks, and Prue didn't think she had ever been so happy. All that was needed was a simple word and her childhood dream would come true. "Yes!"


	18. Chapter 18

A/N. Only two chapters left after this! PaigeMatthews06, the answer to your question is this chapter. How many people would be interested in a sequel?

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Chapter 18 – Three months later 

Piper leaned back into the garden chair and gazed up at the night sky. The black was smeared with dancing colours of turquoise and green mingled with pale pink. "It's brighter than it was a few hours ago."

"It's like magic and science and fairy tales all rolled into one," Phoebe commented.

"Actually it's ions speeding into the Earth's magnetic field and then colliding with air particles," Prue corrected, taking a seat next to Piper. "D'you think it's weird that the Aurora Borealis is the night before the Wiccan Festival of Light?"

"I've been so busy planning for the baby I barely had time to realise it's a Sabbath," Piper replied.

"Yep, it's definitely a time for renewal and growth," Prue said.

"Uh, don't say growth. If this thing gets any bigger I'll never be able to snap back," Piper complained, placing gloved hands on her huge stomach.

"Only a few days to go!" Phoebe squealed. She leant over her chair and spoke to Piper's bump. "We can't wait to meet you baby!"

Piper felt a sharp jab under her rib cage. "I think she feels the same."

"Squawk!"

Phoebe shot back into her chair as a goose lifted it's self off the ground. Underneath it lay a golden egg."

"Another golden goose?" Piper asked. "Couldn't the magical community send a normal baby gift?"

Prue rose from the chair and walked over to the egg. She plucked it from the floor, admiring it. "It's not every day a new Charmed witch is born. She deserves something special."

"You are not keeping that," Piper told her.

"Oh I don't know. I think I could melt it down and turn it into a fashionable wedding ring."

"No."

"Here goosey, goosey, goosey!" In the conservatory, Leo lunged forward and fell flat on his face.

"Piper and Phoebe burst into fits of giggles, while Prue raised her dark eyebrows. "We should ask the Elders on magical gift return policies. Wouldn't want to offend any one."

Leo wondered into the garden, his eyes cast upwards. "I wonder want the Elders want this late."

"I should be getting up," Piper decided, standing up. As soon as she reached her full height, she wobbled. Her head was swimming and her eyes were blurry. "Or maybe back down." She fell onto the chair with a thud.

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Penny perched on Piper's hospital bed, her old hand resting on her granddaughter's young on, the oldest Halliwell's heart wrenched at the sight of Piper. At the moment she was staring vacantly into space, dressed in a hospital gown with a tube poking out her hand. She looked so scared and vulnerable.

Leo was sat in a chair next to Piper's bed, while Prue slumped against a wall and Phoebe sat on the end of the bed. They all looked as worried as Penny felt.

The door creaked open and Piper's doctor, DR Ford, strode in.

Piper's eyes darted to the doctor. "Is my baby okay?"

"Yes and no. Tests have shown you have toxaemia, a high blood pressure condition."

"Is it serious?" Prue asked.

"Toxaemia restricts the flow of blood to the placenta, therefore lowering the baby's oxygen and food. It can lead to a small baby."

"Why was this picked up before?" Penny demanded. Having had a daughter, and supporting Patty through her pregnancies, Penny knew things could be done to prevent the disease.

"If Piper had attended her last scan, it may have been," DR Ford replied.

Piper cringed inwardly. She had missed the scan due to a demon attack, but why hadn't she booked another? Not only was she the reason her baby had the disease, but she had prevented it from being discovered a lot earlier. "What can I do?"

"Don't eat any salty or fatty foods. And complete bed rest," DR Ford ordered. "Someone will be back to check on you soon."

Piper sunk into the pillows as DR Ford left the room.

"It's not your fault," Leo told her softly, knowing the guilt his girlfriend must be feeling.

"How can you say that? This baby isn't even born yet and already I'm screwing up as a mother!" Piper cried miserably. "I just want her to get better."

"Then complete bed rest. Can you do that?" Phoebe asked, rubbing Piper's back comfortingly.

"I'll do anything."

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The demoness stared up at the dancing night sky, her aquamarine blue eyes radiating anticipation. The air was alive with magic. Something very powerful was going to happen. She could feel it. "I've waited a lifetime for this."

"The Aurora Borealis is a rare sight indeed, ma'am." A snivelling creature known as Les dumped an armful of branches into the fire, causing it to leap higher.

"It's much more that that." Alocin pushed back the hood of her mud brown cape, revealing thick honey blonde hair. "Three centuries ago, when I first received my powers, I devoted my self to the black arts. And do you know why?"

Les shrugged his skinny shoulders. "No."

"In the hope that an ancient prophesy, which my mother told me about, would one day come to pass."

"Has it?"

"Look up," Alocin ordered, spreading her arms wide. "The signs are converging. The future of all magic hangs in the balance." The beautiful demoness reached out and slid her arm around her companion's shoulders. "You're going to help me by attacking the Charmed Ones tomorrow with fire balls."

"Fire balls are useless against those witches," Les protested.

"Actually, you'll be lucky to have any power at all if things play out the way I expect."

"Sounds like suicide," Les mumbled.

"Suicide? Sacrifice. An opportunity to have power over good forever."

"I'll do my best ma'am."

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The next morning, Phoebe placed a vase of sunflowers on Piper's bedside table and wandered over to light some candles. She needed everything to be perfect for her older sister.

Prue poked her head around the door, surveying the room. Vases of Piper's favourite flowers were everywhere and dozens of candles gave off a sweet aroma. "Wow. Did I just walk into a spa?"

Phoebe beamed at her oldest sister. "D'you think Piper will like it?"

"She'll love it," Prue assured her.

"Hello?"

"There she is!" Phoebe exclaimed, running out of the room and down the stairs. "Welcome home honey. Or should I say your Majesty, because from now on we are your loyal subjects." She reached the bottom of the stairs and clung to Piper.

"We even turned your bedroom into a royal thrown room," Prue added.

"They spent all night," Penny told her, kissing Piper's forehead.

"Let me take you there now my Queen." Leo produced his arm for Piper to take.

"All right cut it out, before I cut off your heads," Piper ordered. "I don't want any special treatment."

"Piper we love you, let us love you," Phoebe said.

"Yeah," Penny agreed. "As your family, it's our job to provide you with peace, serenity…"

"Squawk! Squawk!"

"A gaggle or geese," Piper finished.

"You said you were going to get rid of those!" Leo cried.

"You said you were going to ask the Elders on magical gift return policies," Prue retorted.

"It's fine. I'm not going to let anything stress me out for the sake of my daughter."

"Okay, I'll take you upstairs," Leo offered.

"I though you tied those up," Prue muttered as Piper and Leo ascended the stairs.

"I did, but they got loose," Phoebe said.

Prue rubbed her temples. "We have to do better than this. If we can't even keep geese away from Piper how are we supposed to protect her from demons?"

"We're Halliwells," Penny answered simply. She was about to add more when a noise from the kitchen stopped her. It sounded like a… horse.

Prue, Phoebe and Penny traipsed into the kitchen. A pure white horse like creature stood in the middle of the room, munching on something from the island, a horn protruding from its forehead.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Prue cried.

"Oh my goodness it's a unicorn," Penny stated.

"Yes. Yes it is. In our kitchen! Is it another baby present?" Prue wondered.

"Yeah. The best one ever!" Phoebe wandered over to the beautiful beast, her eyes wide with amazement.

"Phoebs, while unicorns are very cool, I'm not so sure they're appropriate for a baby," Prue said.

"Oh come on," Phoebe protested. "Our little niece will grow into it."

"I'm not sure I want my great granddaughter playing with a unicorn," Penny said with a frown. "Look at those hooves. And that horn!"

"We have to get rid of her," Prue stated.

Phoebe's bottom lip slid forward in a childlike pout. "Fine," she grumbled. "Take this beast before I end her. Ship her back, return to sender." Phoebe watched, expecting the unicorn to be magically imported. But nothing happened. "Why aren't my powers working?"

Penny pointed two fingers at an apple and lifted her arm sharply. Instead of floating into the air, it stayed put.

"My turn." Prue closed her eyes in concentration. When she didn't feel her soul pulled from her body they popped open. "Nada."

"Something's wrong!" Leo cried, running into the room. "I can't orb. I was trying to go to the Elders to get rid of the geese and why is there a unicorn in the kitchen?"

"Forget the unicorn. We can't use our powers either," Phoebe reported.

"You can't?"

"Where is everybody?"

"Piper! She can't find out about this. Go, put her back in bed," Penny ordered.

Leo nodded and scurried from the room.

"Okay, You two put the magical farm animals in the basement. I'll get the book and meet you down there," Prue decided, jogging away.

"What re you doing out of bed?" Leo asked his girlfriend.

"I was coming to get some food. A person could starve around here."

"Hi. Bye." Prue rushed past them.

"Back to bed. I'll get your food. You're supposed to be on bed rest," Leo reminded her.

"Okay, well bed rest doesn't actually mean…"

"Yes it does. The doctor said stay off your feet and relax."

"Relax. Everyone keeps telling me to relax, like it's something you do, like turning off a light."

"You're going to have to learn how if you want to get your blood pressure under control."

"My blood pressure wouldn't be a problem if I'd slowed down like everyone told me to," Piper stated.

"Come on, sit down," Leo said gently, reaching out.

Piper wrenched her body away. "Don't treat me like a baby machine. I can sit myself down." She lowered herself onto the bed. "All these fears about letting demos get the upper hand and trying to keep up with my sisters. Well you know what? We were wrong."

"How can you say that?"

"Because in the middle of it all we forget the most important thing; what's best for the baby."

"That's not fair," Leo protested. "A lot of women carry on at work."

"A lot of women don't have to hunt demons," Piper returned harshly. More harshly than she meant it to come out. The guilt she felt was crushing. If anything happened to her baby because of her, she wouldn't be able to live with herself.

Leo leaned over the bed to kiss Piper, not knowing what he could say to comfort her. As he pulled back, he knocked against a CD rack. It wobbled and toppled over.

Piper extended her arm to freeze it.

"No!" Leo cried. "No magic. It's uh… too much stress on your body."

Piper lowered her arm. "Like that mess isn't gonna stress me out."

"I'll clean it up," Leo offered quickly.

The phone rang and Piper reached over to answer it. "Hello? Uh, sure." She handed the phone over to Leo. "Since when do your charges use the phone?"

"Since I've been ignoring them to spend time with you."

Piper narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Something strange was going on.

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Phoebe finished securing the unicorn's rope while Penny scattered some grain on the floor for the geese. Phoebe stepped backwards and cringed at the crunch that followed, she looked down tentatively and saw her shoe covered in egg. "Ugh. Yuck!"

"Look, look!" Prue raced down the stairs, an open Book Of Shadows in her arms. She dumped it in to Phoebe's arms. "The whole book, erased!"

"How is that possible?" Phoebe gasped.

"I dunno, but without the book I don't know where to look. It's like the magic's been removed from our whole line."

"Try the whole world," Penny corrected, motioning to Phoebe's shoe.

"What is going on?" Prue ran a hand through her hair.

"What bout the sky last night?" Penny asked.

"The Northern Lights on the eve of a Sabbath. Sure it could have been a sign," Phoebe agreed. "But don't they usually come in threes?"

"The planets!" Prue blurted out. "Jupiter, Mars and Saturn are all in Gemini. That only happens once every three hundred years."

"Dear Goddess, it's like the universe is practically screaming at us to get our attention," Penny said.

"But what is it trying to tell us?" Phoebe asked.

"I dunno. I've got a lot of research books in the attic. I'll try and find out," Prue offered, marching up the stairs. When she got to the foyer, a small wiry man climbing the stairs. "Who are you?"

"They cal me Les." The pathetic demon lifted his arm, attempting to conjure a fireball. A puff of black smoke rose from his hand. "I was afraid of that." He lurched for ward.

Prue instinctively dodged out the way, leaving Les to fall flat on his face. The witch stamped down on his neck, causing the bone to snap and Les to be vanquished.

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"Hah!" Piper scoffed at the T.V. "Like that spell would've worked!" _Bump, thump._ "What was that?"

"What was what?" Leo asked, setting the dustpan and brush on the floor.

Thump 

"That."

"That's probably the girls trying to run down the geese. Tricky birds. I'll go and help out. You, uh, relax." Leo rose from the floor and scurried from the room.

Piper shook her head in bewilderment. What was going on?

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Penny and Phoebe rushed into the foyer just as the doorbell rang.

"What's with the leftovers?" Phoebe asked, noticing Les sprawled on the floor.

"His powers were down too, which means magic's definitely out," Prue replied.

"What's all the noise about?" Leo wondered, reaching the bottom of the stairs.

"Demon. Can you move his body while we get the door?" Penny requested.

"Sure." Leo grabbed Les under the arms and dragged him into the living room.

When they had disappeared, Prue pulled open the door. A woman with gorgeous blonde hair and a mud brown cape stood on the porch. "Can I help you?"

"To save magic? I hope so."

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Penny, Prue and Phoebe lead Alocin into the garden.

"When demons show up at our house, we usually vanquish them," Prue stated. "What makes you think we can't do the same to you?"

"You can't. Didn't my apprentice show up this morning?"

"Oh him. He's dead," Phoebe told her. "But he didn't leave a message."

"He was the message. To show demons don't have magic either. There's fear and panic everywhere."

"Poor demons," Penny drawled sarcastically.

"I see your flowers haven't died yet," Alocin commented. "They will, with no nymphs to spin their delicate magic."

"Don't go getting all enchanted on us," Prue said dryly with a roll of her crystal blue eyes.

"I hate good magic," Alocin spat. "Nothing would give me more pleasure than to see it ripped from the world."

"Then why come to us?" Phoebe asked.

"Because I want my power back. Magic needs to be saved. And it's up to us."

"Us?" Prue repeated incredulously. She couldn't believe this guy. "WE don't work with demons."

"You know you can't fix this by yourselves. That's why you invited me in. But together we can."

"Okay, what do you propose we do?" Penny wanted to know.

"A summit between good and evil."

"You know the exit's that way," Prue said, pointing in the house.

Alocin sighed and handed Penny a card. "My mobile's number on the back."

"Since when do demons use mobiles?" Phoebe snickered.

"You think that's bad? I got a taxi here." Alocin gave a shudder and turned sharply on her heel. "Call me."

"I don't trust her." Prue watched with steely eyes as the demon tramped through the house.

"Neither do I," Penny admitted. "But we need her."

"I don't want to work with evil," Phoebe said.

"What evil?" Leo asked, appearing at the back door.

"A demon wants to work with us to get magic back," Penny explained.

"Great. The sooner we get magic back the better. Without magic Piper and the baby are vulnerable."

"Fine," Prue grumbled. "But if we're going in, we're going in heavy."

"But Alocin said no weapons," Penny reminded her.

"And you trust her? Leo I need some salt and pepper from the kitchen."

"What for?"

"Home made arsenal."

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Piper watched from her as Prue, Phoebe and Leo sneaked past. "Leo!"

The whitelighter shot Prue and Phoebe a look before stepping into his bedroom. "What is it?"

"I may be stuck in bed but I'm not stupid. I know something's going on."

"The doctor told you to relax, so relax."

"How can I relax when I know you're hiding something from me?"

"Okay. Well, it's really nothing to worry about," Leo assured her. "Magic has disappeared from the world, so Prue and Phoebe have gone to have a summit meeting with evil to try and resolve it."

"I see. I am not going to get upset about this. I'm just going to blow you to pieces!" Piper waved her arms in front of her and a warm sensation trickled down her legs. "Oh no." _'This cannot happen!' _

"I tried to tell you."

"No…"

"Listen, I'm sure Prue and Phoebe…"

"Leo, no. My water just broke."

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Prue and Phoebe marched into the pizza restaurant, their stride confident. Instantly they spotted the demons; two women and one man, including Alocin. All wore flowing capes.

"This is Mor, my mother" Alocin introduced as the witches came over. "And this is Cain."

"Check their bags for weapons," Cain ordered.

"Like we'd attack in front of civilians," Prue scoffed. "That's why we chose a public place."

"You can't be too safe," Alocin told them.

Prue and Phoebe chucked their bags onto the table, knowing nothing would be found. All the bags contained was a bomb disguised as a lotion bottle, a fire throwing hair spray which looked perfectly normal, nail files and some smoke candles.

"Candles?" Alocin asked, completely unsuspecting.

"We thought we might try a Wiccan ritual," Prue explained. "How do we know you're not carrying weapons?"

"You mean like this?" Cain rose from his seat and drew out a glinting athame.

A sliver of fear slid down Phoebe's spine. "Did it just get very quiet in here?"

Prue glanced behind her. All of the mortals were standing, wielding baseball bats. The oldest Charmed One glared at Alocin.

"You didn't think we'd pass up the opportunity to take out the Charmed Ones, did you?"

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"It's okay sweetie," Penny soothed, brushing back Piper's dark hair.

"No, it's not. This baby cannot be born now. Not without magic. It's too dangerous." _'How can they be so calm?'_

"Honey, you don't have a choice," Leo told her gently.

"I will not put my baby in any more danger," Piper insisted.

"We won't let any harm come to her," Leo assured his girlfriend.

Piper bit down on her lip and groaned as her first contraction swept through her. "Get my sisters." Piper wasn't going to take any chances. Her baby needed all the protection she could get.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Leo kissed Piper's forehead and was gone.

"Let's get you some clean clothes and sheets." Penny gave her granddaughter a reassuring smile, although her hear was thumping with fear. "Everything will be fine."

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Prue and Phoebe sailed through the air, crashing to the ground. As quickly as they could, they scrambled back up.

"How did you do it?" Prue demanded. "This place must've been crawling with customers."

"We paid them to leave," Alocin replied. "Of course the owner wanted to stay, but he's browning in the pizza oven."

"Who's gonna fix magic?" Phoebe asked, partly because she wanted to know, partly because she wanted to stall the demons.

"I've got it covered."

"That makes two of us." Prue produced the hair spray bottle and pressed down. Fire shot from the bottle, catching a few demons.

Next Phoebe lit the lotion bomb and threw it. The witches barely had time to duck before it exploded, killing many demons.

"Don't let them get out alive," Alocin growled to her mother. The demoness pushed herself up and slipped from the wrecked restaurant.

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Piper screamed and more sweat beads broke out on her forehead. "Oww! It hurts!"

"I know sweetie. Just think of the moment when you hold that little girl for the first time," Penny advised. "It'll be worth it."

"It had better be," Piper growled. "We need to get to hospital."

"I don't think so."

Piper's head whipped up at the sound of the unfamiliar female voice. "Who are you?"

"I'm here for your baby," Alocin replied.

Piper's breathing became ragged and she sent a panicked look at Penny. _'She can't have my baby. I won't let her.' _

"Just breathe. And push."

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Mor crawled through the rubble until a black boot planted itself firmly in her path. She looked up to see Prue standing over her.

"Where's Alocin?"

"She had business to attend to."

"I'll bet." Prue pulled handcuffs from her back pocket and snapped one over Mor's wrist, chaining her to a table.

Phoebe rushed up behind the fallen demoness and pressed and pressed an athame to her throat. "Alocin brought down magic, didn't she."

"She doesn't have the power."

"But you do," Prue realised.

"You're her mother," Phoebe stated. "What happened to magic?"

Mor eyed the knife against her throat, deciding to tell the truth. "Centuries ago I unearthed a stone from the tomb of a wise apothecary. 'When three planets burn as one, over a sky of dancing light, magic will rest on a holy day to welcome the first born child.'"

"Those were the signs that we saw!" Phoebe cried.

"Wait, back to the first born child," Prue ordered.

"Alocin doesn't want us. She wants Piper's baby," Phoebe realised.

"Oh my God." Prue fumbled in her bag for her mobile phone.

"Why Piper's baby?" Phoebe demanded.

"She is the first born of the Charmed offspring, the most powerful of them all. She is destined for great things," Mor told them.

"When do we get our powers back?"

"When it's too late to use them."

"House line's dead," Prue announced.

"You won't get your powers back until the baby is born. Which should be any minute now."

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"Get your hands off her." Penny struck out at Alocin.

"It's useless to fight me. It would be easy for Piper if you let me do what is required."

Piper knew the demoness was right. A witch in labour and an elderly witch were no match for a demon in full strength.

"I won't let you have the baby," Penny spat.

"Piper's full dilated. It won't be long now," Alocin said, ignoring Penny's defiance.

Piper moaned and withered in pain as another contraction hit. "If you harm my baby I will kill you. Even if it means coming back from the dead and don't think I won't find a way to do that.

"Harm her? I want to raise her. She'll be the greatest leader the world has ever known. You should be very proud."

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A scream reverberated through the house as Prue and Phoebe entered through the back door. Phoebe stepped forward, but Prue held her back. "She won't hurt Piper while she's in labour."

"What about Grams or Leo?"

"There's only one way to save them." Prue crept towards the basement, plucking up a knife. Down in the basement, Prue began rubbing the knife along the unicorn's horn, collecting the dust that fell from it. "A unicorn's horn is pure magic."

Phoebe nodded and looked at the unicorn's house. "El- Elders! The Elders sent the unicorn!"

"They must have known," Prue concluded. "Remember they called just before Piper passed out. They sent the unicorn to help."

"For once," Phoebe murmured.

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Piper took deep breaths through her latest contraction. They were much closer now, only a minute apart. She knew that meant she didn't have long, half an hour at the most. The middle witch would not let the demon have her baby. Even if it meant sacrificing herself, Piper would do it in a heartbeat. But the answer was much simpler.

As Alocin turned away, Piper reached out and smashed a vase over her head. The demon crumpled to the ground.

"Piper?"

"We need to get out of here." Piper pushed herself up of the bed and waddled for the door, aided by Penny. As they neared the bottom of the stairs, pain ripped through Piper and she slipped out of her grandmother's arms, tumbling down a few steps.

Alocin appeared at the top of the stairs, rubbing her head. "Stupid witch. Could've killed the both of you." The demon descended the stairs and grabbed Piper's neck.

"Get away from me!"

"Move and she dies," Alocin threatened.

"Vanquish her," Piper ordered.

"I mean it!"

"You can still save the baby." Piper was pleading now.

"I mean it!"

"Piper how…?" Penny couldn't chose between the granddaughter she was still getting to know, and the great granddaughter who wasn't even born.

"You don't have to." Prue and Phoebe appeared in the foyer, their gazes determined.

"Now!" Phoebe launched silvery dust at Alocin as Prue recited the spell.

_Heed my word through myth and lore, _

_Give my words the power to soar, _

_And kill this evil ever more _

With a final scream Alocin erupted into flames, while the body of Les disintegrated.

"Is everybody okay?" Prue breathed.

"I feel like I'm dying," Piper answered.

"Ooh! Baby's coming!" Phoebe squealed. She darted into the dining room, cleared the table and threw pillows and blankets over it.

With the help of Penny and Prue, Piper got up onto the table.

"Let's see what we have here," Prue said, barely able to see through her tears. "Oh! I see a head of dark hair."

"What did you expect, a blonde?" Penny joked, sniffing happily.

The front door opened and Leo stepped in. "What did I miss?"

"A lot," Piper spat.

"Okay, breathe, breathe," Prue instructed. "You're doing great."

"I'm here, honey." Leo wrapped his arms around Piper's shoulders for support.

"One more big push."

"I can't Piper," Piper panted.

"You can. You have to," Phoebe encouraged, rubbing Piper's arm.

Piper gripped the edged of the table and screamed with extra effort. A baby blue glow fell from the ceiling, covering everyone there.

"I guess magic's coming back," Phoebe stated.

"I see a shoulder!" Prue announced. "And another." She bent down and scooped up the tiny baby, wrapping it in the pink blanket, before using the suction to clear the baby's mouth.

"Here you go mommy." As Prue handed Piper her baby, the blue light disappeared.

"Hey baby. How ya doin'?" Piper cooed. She felt an overwhelming rush of love, so powerful.

"Look what you did," Phoebe breathed. "A little girl."

"It's a miracle," Penny murmured.

"She's beautiful," Leo said. It didn't matter that Leo wasn't her biological father. The love was the same.

"We've got something for you," Prue announced, wiping away her tears. She produced a small lilac box and pulled the lid off, showing Piper the silver charm bracelet nestled in side. Engraved on one side of a heart pendant was the triquetra, symbolising the baby's heritage. On the reverse was the name Piper had chosen, Alexandra Sarah Halliwell.

"Thank you." Piper couldn't take her eyes off her daughter. "Alexandra Sarah Halliwell, you are forever charmed."


	19. Chapter 19

A/N. Thank you for the reviews, I'm glad you like the chapter. One more to go after this! 

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Chapter 19 – Three weeks later "Ooh! I swear I could just eat you up, with a little ranch dressing!" 

Piper popped her head over the baby's crib and frowned at her little sister. "Let's not, okay?"

"I can't make that promise."

Leo poked his head next to Piper's. "Don't listen to your auntie, okay? She's just a little cookey!"

"Oh tosh!" Penny cried. "The little darling deserves all the attention."

"Okay, but growing up with mentally unstable aunts could get her into trouble as a grown up," Leo told them playfully.

Prue squinted her eyes and pursed her lips in mock offence. "She can just zap anyone who gives her trouble away."

"Oh God I hope not," Piper said.

"Aren't you excited to see what her powers are?" Penny asked.

"Excited. Terrified," Piper replied. "I mean after seeing what she could do in the womb…"

"She'll be fine," Leo assured his girlfriend. "She has you as a mommy."

"And you as a daddy," Piper returned sweetly.

"Speaking of that, I was thinking of… maybe adopting Lexy." (A/N. Lexy is probably what I'll be calling the baby from now on.)

Piper's eyes widened in shock and for a moment she forgot her sisters and grandmother. "Where has this come from?"

"I've been thinking about it for some time, actually. I love Lexy like she's my own, so why not make her my own? Legally."

Piper's face broke into a huge grin. This was possibly the sweetest thing Leo had ever done. "I love the idea. And I love you." Piper reached up and planted a kiss on Leo's lips.

"I think a little lady's tired," Phoebe announced as her niece's mouth opened in a wide yawn.

"Out," Piper ordered, shooing her sisters and grandmother from the room. She and Leo lingered a little longer to cover the witchling with her blanket.

"With all the powers you r baby has, it's a shame sleeping through the night isn't one of them," Prue commented as her sister and Whitelighter moved from the bedroom.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Piper apologised. "Maybe we can cast a sound-proof spell on our bedroom."

"No!" Prue exclaimed. "It will mess with the alarm.

"Alarm?" Piper repeated.

"I set up an alarm to detect evil near Lexy," Prue explained.

"Can it shock anything?" Leo asked, worry etched on his face.

Prue placed a hand on her hip and her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits in reply.

"Right. Of course not."

"Now if you'll excuse me I need to get to college," Prue announced.

Piper spun around, sensing a presence behind her. Luckily it was only Phoebe, creeping towards Piper's room. "Phoebe, what are you doing?"

"I just wanted to watch the baby sleep."

"Phoebe…" Piper stopped abruptly as the lights in the hall began to flash, accompanied by a shrill beep.

"What the…"

"Demon!" Piper ran towards her bedroom, panic overtaking her. She charged into the room and her blood ran cold.

Two demons, both human looking, were bent over Lexy's crib. A bubble gum pink dome surrounded the screaming little witch, prohibiting the demons from touching her.

"Son of a…" Piper cut herself off, remembering babies could sense adult emotions. She unclasped a clenched fist and the demon nearest her exploded. She went to repeat the motion, but the second force of evil shimmered out before her power reached him.

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"I don't understand!" Piper raged, stomping towards the trusted Book Of Shadows. "She's just a baby. I tiny baby!"

"I know," Leo soothed, cradling Lexy close to his chest.

Piper flipped through the book with extra force, nearly ripping a fragile page.

"Careful!" Phoebe warned.

Piper glared at her younger sister and continued to thumb through the heirloom. "It would be so much safer if she was allowed up there."

"She's not allowed," Leo told her.

Piper slammed her fist down on the page and looked up at Leo. "Won't let her?"

"She isn't a Whitelighter," Leo explained sheepishly.

"You don't need the Elders," Penny said encouragingly. "Your mother and I protected your sisters and we had much less power than you."

"She's right," Phoebe agreed. "We have the Power Of Three."

Piper nodded, hoping they were right. Her eyes fell on the page, showing a picture of the demon that had escaped. "A Hawker Demon, employed by other demonic beings to collect magical goods, which are sold at the demonic market." Piper glanced at her daughter, her eyes full of disgust. "My baby is a magical good? That's sick and twisted."

"Yeah," Phoebe agreed, but who wants to buy her?"

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Demons of various strength, size and power bustled up and down the busy streets of the demonic market. Stalls selling everything from everyday spices to bat wings lined the streets, attracting buyers.

The Hawker Demon shimmered in next to a stall, where two demons with ghostly white skin and blood red eyes waited for his arrival.

"Well?" The oldest brother, Livit, asked. "Where's the child?"

"I failed."

"You what?" Livit's eyes flashed dangerously.

"As soon as we arrived the Charmed Ones came running. And besides, the infant has a force field."

"We know," Lexon, Livit's younger brother, snapped. "Her power is immense, which is why we targeted the Charmed offspring. Power that great will restore us to our former glory. But your failed us."

"Listen, I'm sorry the witch cursed you. I've brought you a Gypsy instead."

"A Gypsy will not serve us with power for long enough," Livit stated.

"I've already lost one demon on this job. If you want the child employ someone else."

"I don't think so. You can go after the child one more time."

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"It's done," Phoebe announced, closing the back door and entering the living room. "The house is now surrounded by sage and apples. Although if it worked, we would've done it sooner."

"Every little helps," Piper told her.

"I guess. Have you performed the protection spell?"

"All done."

"Great. So now we go after the demon to find out who hired him."

"How?" Penny asked.

"Not sure yet," Phoebe admitted. "But when we find him, we'll use him to send a message; if you come after this baby you will die in the cruellest way possible."

Lexy started to fuss, so Piper got to her feet and scooped up. "I like the idea. Except for the part where I have to leave my new born child to go demon hunting. I'm just not ready."

"I can understand that," Phoebe told her. "Me and Grams can go."

"I don't know Phoebe. It seems awfully dangerous to go up against a demon we know nothing about," Grams said.

"Then the Hawker will just come back," Phoebe argued.

"Then we'll set a trap for him. Sell him to the highest bidder." Piper laid Lexy back in her crib. "What d'you think?" She asked the baby.

"WE can force him to tell us who hired him," Leo added, liking the plan.

"No," Phoebe protested. "It sounds too risky."

"She has her force field and your alarm. It's no more risky than going up against a demon you know nothing about," Leo pointed out.

"He's right," Piper agreed. "You should go and get the crystals."

"Fine." Phoebe reluctantly stood up and slouched towards the stairs.

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Prue stalked the corridor of the campus, headed towards her classroom. She was half an hour early, but she needed to get out of the house. Things in the manor were getting a little crazy, what with the new baby. Not that Prue was jealous or begrudging. She just needed some peace and quiet.

A shadow fell across her path and she stopped abruptly, ready to give the person a piece of her mind. "Andy!"

"Hey sweetie." Andy cupped Prue's face in his hands and kissed her gently.

"What are you doing here?"

"I had day off so I thought I'd see if you wanted lunch."

"I can't," Prue told him apologetically. "I have a lesson soon. Maybe later?"

"Sure." Andy's face clouded with concern as he studied his fiancee's face. "You look tired."

"So would you if you lived with a three week old baby."

"You could always move in with me."

"Andy I've told you I can't."

"Right, but what about when we're married."

"We decided to wait a few years." Prue smiled coyly. "So we'll figure it out then."

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"Why would someone want to hurt someone so innocent?" Piper asked softly as she and Leo gazed down at the sleeping baby.

"Ssh." Leo motioned to the sofa, where Phoebe lay, snoring gently.

Piper nodded and tip-toed into the conservatory. "Poor Phoebe. She's so tired. I think she really needed that day off school."

"I think a smile from her niece would more than make up for the lack of sleep." Leo slid his arms around Piper's waist and hugged her comfortingly. "Everything's going to be okay."

"How?"

"Because babies are resilient and ours has a little extra off that."

Piper smile secretly at Leo's words. He had said our without even realising it. God she loved this man so much.

"Ahh!" Phoebe flew into the conservatory, smashing into the wicker chair as the alarm began to buzz.

Piper gasped and darted past Phoebe, barely glancing at her in the need to get to her baby. The middle Charmed One bounded into the living room and her insides turned to ice. The Hawker Demon was shooting a red beam at Lexy's shield covered crib as it hovered in the air. "No!" Piper darted forward and jumped high. She caught the crib and came crashing down.

Phoebe leapt to her feet. "Leo!"

The whitelighter grabbed a rose pink crystal and placed it firmly on the floor, creating a cage around the Hawker Demon. Energy crackled from the crystals and with a scream of pain, the Hawker exploded.

"Guess I overcharged it," Phoebe mumbled sheepishly before plucking up the demon's athame and following Leo.

Lexy howled as Piper pushed herself up into sitting position. "You're okay. It's okay."

"How is she doing?" Leo asked.

"I think we need a little bit of healing," Piper announced.

"She looks fine to me."

"Not her. Me." Piper fell back, revealing her blood stained top.

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"Prue, are you listening to me?"

"Huh?" Andy's voice startled Prue and she looked across the table. "I was…"

"Thinking about Lexy?" Andy finished

"Yeah," Prue admitted, smiling slightly. "I'm sorry. I feel like I should be at home. Does that sound stupid?"

"Not at all. If you think you should be at home, then you probably should be."

"I knew you'd understand." Prue stood up and kissed Any lightly. "I'll call you tonight."

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"Hold her hands," Leo instructed Phoebe. "We don't want her blowing anything up."

Phoebe nodded and grabbed her older sister's wrists, pinning them down. As she leant over, the youngest Charmed One glimpsed at Piper's mangled chest. Nasty.

Leo held his palms over Piper, healing her wound.

With a cry, Piper jolted upwards and Phoebe released her.

"Easy."

"Ssh baby," Piper soothed, running her finger gently beneath Lexy's chin.

"Are you okay?" Leo asked.

"I'm fine."

The sound of the front door opening and closing ceased all conversation and Prue walked into view. "What happened?"

Piper rolled her eyes. "It's a long story."

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The Charmed sisters appeared with a swirl of white light in a secluded clearing, covered in green foliage.

"Is this it?" Phoebe asked, thinking the place they had landed looked nothing like a demonic market.

"Look over there." Piper, who was still not happy about leaving her daughter, pointed towards two burly men, dressed from head to toe in brown leather.

"Let's go." Prue lead her younger sisters over to the men, who looked suspiciously like guards.

"Who are you?" The tallest, most muscley demanded gruffly.

"We're looking for the demonic market," Prue replied.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the second man told them.

"Don't play dumb with us." Piper flexed her fingers and the surliest demon exploded. "Now show us the market or the same thing will happen to you."

The remaining demon gulped. He knew of only one witch with the power to do that – a Charmed One. He had no choice other than to let them in. Not even the Charmed Ones could survive a whole a market of demons. The guard waved his arm and a gap appeared between two trees. Behind the gap was the hustle and bustle of the market.

The sisters braced themselves and stepped through the portal. There was no going back now.

"Ready?"

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The brother demons stood with their hands hovering over the Gypsy, their red eyes closed. A pink glow rose from the young woman and was sucked into the demons, parasites that they were. Outside their hut, the sounds of explosions and screams dominated the night.

"Hey buddies."

Livit lost his concentration and glanced towards the door. Three dirty and tired, but determined looking sisters stood in the doorway. The one who had spoken, Piper was in the middle.

"Didn't you mom ever tell you not to play with your food?" Piper quipped. The angry young mother shoved out her palms and the demons exploded simultaneously. "Let that be a lesson to all of you!" She shouted to the quivering demons outside. "Come after my baby, and suffer the consequences."

Phoebe slung her arm proudly over Piper's shoulders. "Way to go, super mom."


	20. Chapter 20

A/N. I only got one review for the last chapter! I know it wasn't the best in the world, but that upset me a bit.

Anyway, this is the last chapter of Finding Her Place. I cannot believe we've finally got here and I want to say a huge thank you for everyone who has read and reviewed. Your response has been amazing and without you I wouldn't have got this far.

Also, a sequel called Their Destiny will be up in about a week. Please look out for it if you're interested.

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Chapter 20 – Three months later 

"Duck!"

Phoebe swooped low as the energy ball whizzed past her. It struck the wall behind her and singed the dark brown wood.

Across the attic, Prue's chin dropped onto her chest and a ruby red flare flashed behind the Nark Demon. Astral Prue kicked forcefully into the abnormally tall demon's back and he stumbled forward. Using this to her advantage, the eldest witch delivered a strong roundhouse kick to her opponent's cheek. He finally fell down and Astral Prue returned to her body.

Phoebe chucked a vial of lime green potion at the Nark Demon and it connected, sending fire across the attic. The flames licked at the sisters' skin, leaving a warm sensation behind as it withdrew.

"Phew," Prue sighed, joining her youngest sister. "That was harder than I expected."

"Definitely," Phoebe agreed.

"Prue, Phoebe. What re you doing?" Penny asked, sweeping into the room.

"Vanquishing the last soul-stealing demon on Piper's list," Prue replied.

"Yep, Lexy's Wiccaning should go without a hitch," Phoebe added. "No more evil creatures to threaten our ancestor's souls."

"Good job girls," Penny praised. "We want everything to be perfect."

"Not as much as Piper," Phoebe grumbled. During the past week, Piper had been driving everyone slightly crazy with her obsession of wanting that day to go without a flaw.

"Can you blame her?" Prue asked. "It's a special day for Lexy. A day when she's welcomed into our family and witchcraft properly."

As she nodded in agreement, Phoebe felt a bubble of excitement rise up in her chest. She was going to meet all the matriarchs of her family line!

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"Oh! Doesn't she look a picture?" Penny gushed a few hours later, admiring her great granddaughter.

The three-month-old baby wore a traditional white, flowing gown that had been passed down the generations. A pale pink ribbon had been secured in her tuft of soft brown hair.

"Picture!" Prue cried, grabbing her camera off Piper's bed and snapping away.

"My Ladybug had to look special for her big day," Piper explained.

"Ah, I remember your mother and sisters wearing that gown," Penny sighed dreamily.

Piper shifted Lexy to her hip and frowned slightly. It had never occurred to her to ask about her Wiccaning. She didn't even know if she'd had one. "Did – did I have a Wiccaning?"

"Of course you did sweetie."

Piper's heart thudded at the voice. She hadn't heard it in so long, and yet it was as familiar to her as her own. Could it really be her? Piper twisted around slowly, afraid that if she moved too fast, the dream would fade. "Mom? Dad?"

"Oh, Piper," Sarah Jones breathed. She couldn't believe how much her daughter had changed in the months they had been separated.

"Wh- how?" Piper stuttered. She clutched Lexy closer, not sure if she was dreaming.

Unnoticed by anyone, Penny and Prue slipped from Piper's bedroom.

"The Elders sent us down," Nathan explained. "Juts for today."

"But you're not glowing. Ghosts glow," Piper choked out.

"We're not ghosts. Today we're simply your parents."

Piper let out a sob as realisation hit her. They really were her mom and dad. Her parents were standing in her bedroom as real people. She set Lexy down and flew at her parents, hugging them close. "I can't believe you're here."

"We wouldn't miss our granddaughter's Wiccaning for the world," Sarah told her as they broke apart.

"Now let us see our granddaughter!" Nathan cried.

Piper laughed happily and scooped up her daughter, who was gazing with interest at the two new people. "Look Ladybug, it's Nana and Granddad."

"Nana?" Sarah repeated.

"You always wanted to be Nana, right?"

Sarah nodded and beamed as Piper handed Lexy over. "Oh sweetheart, she's gorgeous."

"A treasure," Nathan agreed. "And so much like you at that age."

"I've seen photos." Tears welled again in Piper's eyes. Ever since her parents' death, she had been dreaming of the moment they would meet her baby.

"What's her name?" Sarah wondered, bouncing the baby up and down gently.

"Alexandra Sarah, after you."

"After me?" Sarah's eyes sparkled with pleasure. "Thank you sweetie, that's lovely."

Piper grinned, glad her mother like the notion.

The bedroom door burst open and a haggard looking Leo stepped in. "Piper…" He stopped as soon as he noticed the other people in the room.

"Leo, these are my parents, Sarah and Nathan. Mom, Dad, this is Leo, my boyfriend."

"Pleased to meet you," Nathan said politely, shaking the whitelighter's hand.

"It's a pleasure." Sarah drew Leo into a one armed hug.

"Likewise. I've heard so much about you." Leo shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but Piper I really think you should come downstairs."

"Okay. Could you stay up here with Lexy? I'll be back as soon as I can." Piper took Leo's hand and let him drag her down the stairs. "What is it?"

"There's someone at the door." Leo pulled Piper into the living room.

As Piper's gaze swept across the room, her eyes fell on the person she least wanted to see. "Dan!"

"Hello Piper."

"Piper, who is this?" Phoebe, who had answered the door, asked.

"This-this is Lexy's father." Piper couldn't take it all in. First the wonderful surprise of seeing her parents again and now the terrible shock of finding Dan in her living room.

"What?" Leo's fists clenched and he glared at Dan. "The jerk who left you as soon as he found out who you were?"

"Hey! Who are you calling a jerk?" Dan took a threatening step forward.

"You." Leo also moved forward.

"Whoa! Time out." Piper flicked her wrists and the testosterone-fuelled males became motionless. The middle Charmed One began pacing and rubbing her temples.

"Are you okay?" Phoebe asked sympathetically.

"Peachy," Piper snapped sarcastically. "My ex boyfriend; my first love and the father of my child, is standing in my living room!" A vase in the corner shattered.

"I think that vase would disagree," Phoebe quipped. "My don't you un-freeze them and we'll get rid of him."

Piper sighed tersely and gestured with her hand.

Phoebe quickly stepped in between Dan and Leo. "I think you should leave," she told the greasy-haired mortal.

"Piper and I have things to talk about."

"Maybe Piper doesn't want to talk to you," Leo shot back.

"And who are you exactly?" Dan demanded.

"He's my boyfriend," Piper replied._ 'Hah, that shut him up.' _

"Piper please." Dan's eyes bore right into Piper's. "I want to explain."

How could Piper say no? She had to build a relationship with Dan for Lexy's sake. Even if she didn't want to. "Fine."

"What?"

"Phoebe, Leo, can you please give us five minutes?"

Phoebe nodded and left the room reluctantly.

"I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." Leo kissed Piper's forehead and followed Phoebe.

"I'm so sorry if I hurt you," Dan began.

"Of course you hurt me!" Piper cried. "I loved you."

"And I loved you."

"Then why?"

"Because I couldn't cope, Piper."

"With what? The fact that I had powers, or that I was pregnant?"

"Both," Dan admitted sheepishly. "I was only eighteen, and you drop these huge bombshells on me. I didn't know how to react, how to feel."

"So you left me to bring up our baby alone? I was scared, Dan. More scared than I'd ever been. I needed you."

"I know, and I'll regret leaving you for the rest of my life. I loved you, but I wasn't ready to be a father and I didn't know how to love a witch. I hope you can forgive me."

"I'll never forgive you, Dan," Piper spat. "You broke my heart."

"I'm so, so sorry."

"It's too late now." Piper wiped the tears from her eyes. She didn't need Dan. She had Leo, Lexy, her sisters and Penny. "Do you want to see our daughter?"

"D-daughter?"

"Alexandra. She's gorgeous." Why was Piper telling him this? If he was really interested, he would've came over sooner.

"I-I can't," Dan told her. "I've got a plane to catch. I'm moving to New York."

Why wasn't Piper shocked by the news? Maybe a year ago she would've done, but now she knew the real Dan; how cold he could be, how little he cared for her. "So you really don't care."

"I'm sorry."

"So you've said."

Dan moved past his ex-girlfriend, into the foyer. "Goodbye Piper."

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An hour later, the whole family was assembled in the attic. Penny stood in front of Piper and Leo, holding Lexy, while Prue, Phoebe, Sarah and Nathan watched from further back.

_I call forth from space and time, _

_Matriarchs from the Halliwell line, _

_Mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, _

_Our family's spirit without end, _

_To gather now in this sacred place, _

_And help us bring this baby to grace. _

As Penny finished chanting the summoning spell, flurries of golden orbs appeared, transforming into the spirits of dead ancestors. The oldest Halliwell turned towards the ghosts.

"The next generation has been born into our family, our legacy. We pledge to be with this baby, this beautiful girl, always. Apart but never separate, free but never alone. She is part of us, and because of this, we will bless her with all the goodness that we are. Welcome to the family, Alexandra Sarah Halliwell. Blessed Be."

"Blessed Be," the spirits echoed, along with the Charmed Ones and Leo.

Piper beamed with pride as she scooped up her baby, surrounded by the love of her life, her parents and her biological family. She had finally found her place.

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A/N. Once again, thank you for reading this story. Please check out the sequel, Their Destiny.


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